Over the now twenty or so years of my career, my perspective has incrementally expanded its focus, looking beyond merely the improvement of symptoms at the worst times in life, towards a goal that is much more ambitious — achieving optimal mental healthiness. This aim is helpful for the whole range of health, from sickness to no longer sick to healthy to thriving. The goals set are not just resolution of problems, but ongoing personal growth, wellbeing, relatedness, and authenticity. My perspective is shaped by a truth-based lens, learned from empirical scientific research, our shared human experience, and the reliable and honed intuition of those in and outside of the mental health field as well as my own. Empirical Scientific Research – “This makes sense.” In addition to my formal medical school and residency training in Psychiatry at UCLA, my post residency learning has been influenced by Daniel Siegel’s Interpersonal Neurobiology, Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, as well as Positive Psychology, Emotions research, and other fascinating discoveries of modern Neuroscience. I am always still learning. Our Shared Human Experience – “This feels right.” Ever since our adolescence, as human beings, our beliefs, behaviors, and expectations are shaped by personal experience. I’m no different. My own personal lens is most influenced by the meaningful relationships in my life, my evolving spiritual beliefs, and my cultural and racial identity that is simultaneously American and that of an Asian person of color. Reliable Intuition – “This rings true.” From a neuroscience perspective, intuition is not a “low” level gut feeling, but is actually the synthesis of our highest mental abilities. It brings together our cumulative knowledge, our core competencies, both social and emotional intelligence, the default human tendency to look towards the future, and all of our analytical and rational reasoning. It’s the intersection of what “makes sense” and “feels right.” When we listen to the intuition of experts in their particular fields, we are pointed towards concepts worth reflecting on. Being open to these types of ideas also allows us to step outside the limits of scientific study, and deepen our own awareness of ourselves and others — through art, literature, history, design, philosophy, and religion. When science, human experience, and intuition all point to the same thing, then we can be sure that our beliefs are grounded in something truthful. I try to draw on all these sources to find what is universally and inherently authentic. My professional work is divided into two parts. First is as a psychotherapist, integrating these “mental healthiness” principles into the collaborative work I do with clients. Second is as an educator on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and its many real world implications. This includes both writing and speaking to curious audiences that include parents, educators, students, creatives, and professional colleagues.

To see past talks on parenting, empathy, emotions, neuroscience, cultural and racial identity, and spirituality please visit my website: mentalhealthiness.com/links

Nanci Luna Jiménez is regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized for her highly effective and insightful trainings, inclusive facilitation, and dynamic speaking for groups of diverse ages, industries, and cultural backgrounds. In 1994, she founded the Luna Jiménez Institute for Social Transformation (then known as Luna Jiménez Seminars & Associates) to deliver unique programs that guide individual healing and transformation, cultivate initiative and leadership in social change, and create more just and equitable workplaces and communities. A Certified Professional Facilitator© since 2006, Nanci facilitates individuals and groups in understanding how systemic oppression affects their lives, their work, and their relationships with others, then supports them to envision and make revolutionary changes through personal healing, cross-cultural communication, group consensus, organizational inclusion, and short- and long-term strategic and action planning. Nanci’s unique approach to diversity, inclusion, and social justice continues the legacy of work first started by Dr. Erica “Ricky” Sherover-Marcuse, who coined the term “unlearning racism,” and then carried on by recognized cross-cultural communication specialist Lillian Roybal Rose, M.Ed. Their approaches encourage participants to recognize the value of their own heritage and to foster common understanding with others as a means of building alliances and working for social justice. Nanci uniquely combines this training with methodologies developed by the Institute for Cultural Affairs (ICA), an international organization that trains people to lead participatory processes for more sustained organizational and social change. Of Puerto Rican and Chicana heritage, Nanci was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised there and in Tucson, Arizona. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

Tiffany Grant co-founded and managed Excell-ent Care, a family childcare program for Excell Academy for Higher Learning staff six years ago. Tiffany brings 14 years of experience working in early childcare settings assisting in curriculum development, training, coaching, and compliance work for licensed, license-exempt, and non-profit programs. A strong advocate for equity and inclusion, Tiffany spends a lot of her time serving on committees that strengthen her professional skills to create systems of equity. Some of her previous work includes serving on the Minnesota Legislative Task Force representing the 7 County metro area for family Child Care programs and representing her state at The Public Policy Forum through the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Zero Three Strolling Thunder, an advocacy event for families. Tiffany received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Studies with a career focus on early psychology and leadership from Metropolitan State University.

Dr. Shawn Singh Sidhu is an Associate Professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine where he serves as Training Director for the UCSD Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Dr. Sidhu has worked very closely with both migrant and Native American families throughout his career, and he is currently Co-Director of the Society for Asylum Medicine. Dr. Sidhu and his colleagues have developed a training program through which they have trained hundreds of healthcare workers in how to provide asylum evaluations to migrant youth and their families throughout the Southwest. He thanks his friends, family, colleagues, and community, without whose support none of his work would have been possible.

Vanessa Arteaga, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Currently a full time bilingual therapist and IOP Lead at BACA; an outpatient clinic working with youth and families under the age of 26. Vanessa was previously a Director of Services at San Diego Youth Services overseeing a drop-in-center, shelter, and mental health services for youth experiencing homelessness, mental health services for LGBTQ youth, program serving youth affected by human trafficking, and the Unaccompanied Youth Program. Vanessa has over 12 years of experience working with Transition Aged Youth including working with undocumented and unaccompanied minors. Vanessa has held the Co-Chair for BHS TAY Council, Steering Committee member for San Diego Youth Homelessness Consortium, and co-founder of Brand of Brothers. Vanessa holds a B.S. in Sociology from Cal State San Marcos and Master’s degree in Counseling from National University.

Anthony Parham, LMFT, is the Founder of Circle of Life Therapies, which provides therapeutic support to BIPOC Youths and Families in California. Circle of Life Therapies also provides a host of other services that work towards the decolonization of the community. His goal is to provide a safe environment where BIPOC can be vulnerable, have opportunities for whole being growth, instill or enhance the value of finding and maintaining strong community bonds, and provide empowering, creative, and healing outlets. Anthony has experience working in Nonprofits as a Program Director for Foster Care and a Clinician in Community Mental Health. Behind the scenes, he has written and obtained multiple grants that support systemic change for underserved Youth and Families within the community. In addition, Anthony served on the Board for the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapist. Narrative Therapy, MER, NLP, and EMDR are the foundations for change work Anthony uses to support Youth and Families. Anthony specializes and prioritizes working with Children, Teens, & BIPOC.

Ariane Porras is a native San Diegan, a BSW with a minor in Psychology and an Advanced student of Somatic Experiencing. In her 14 years with the YMCA of San Diego County, she has worked as an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant promoting social emotional development foundations, facilitated support groups and provided trainings on primary prevention frameworks, Trauma Informed Care and culturally responsive practices. In her current role as Community Collaborative Director she leads teams around best practices for community and partner engagement. Her experience working with the end cap populations of our society has greatly contributed to her passion for equipping caregivers and social service professionals in San Diego as it has provided a full scope of how trauma affects the entire family system and how responsive relationships are key to healing each other and in turn our communities.

Markita Mays, LCSW, (she/her) a licensed clinical social worker, is co-Director of EMBRACE Perinatal Care for Black Families and co-Director of Perinatal Mental Health at the Child Trauma Research Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. She provides clinical services; supervision to clinicians in training; and is a national trainer for the dissemination of Child-Parent Psychotherapy. Markita earned her BA in Human Biology at Brown University, with an emphasis on African Studies, and her Master’s degree in Social Work, focusing on Children, Youth, and Families from California State University, East Bay. Ms. Mays is committed to understanding the intersection and intergenerational patterns of race and trauma for African American families and communities and has a special interest in healing interventions rooted in spiritual/indigenous practices and traditions. She is the 2020 recipient of the Zero To Three Emerging Leader Award

LaTysa Flowers is the Founder of Parents Empowerment Services, an organizations that provides educational advocacy, consultation and coaching for the parents and caregivers of children with academic, developmental and social emotional challenges. She is employed with the YMCA of San Diego County providing organizational leadership, training and development on inclusion, anti-racism and culturally responsive practices. Additionally, she is a Contractor for the Academy for Professional Excellence where she is a facilitator and curriculum consultant for the Cultural Responsiveness Academy, of Child Welfare Developmental Services (CWDS) and a trainer for Responsive Integrated Health Solutions (RIHS). She facilitates several trainings to include Pathways and Child & Family Team Facilitation, Safety Organized Practice, African American Worldview, and Engaging African American Families.
Ms. Flowers is a certified Positive Discipline Educator for parents, classroom management and early childhood professionals where she teaches both trauma informed and culturally responsive practice.
Through her systems partnerships, she utilizes her empirical experience lending her voice to amplify the needs, perspectives and concerns of children, youth and families. Her life’s work consists of efforts to reduce inequities and bias in education, elimination of the preschool to prison pipeline, and building the capacity of adults and caregivers to meet the needs of our most vulnerable populations through education and training.

Mary Ellen Baraceros is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior from University of California, Irvine. She has several years experience in the field of mental health working with various populations, including foster youth, transitional age youth (TAY), families, the military, and underserved communities. Ms. Baraceros is currently the Regional Director for Pathways in San Diego County. In this role, Ms. Baraceros provides administrative and clinical oversight of five county contracted programs. She is committed to representing Asian Americans in social work by maintaining involvement as a Field Instructor for local schools of social work.

Josephine Smedley, a proud mother of two beautiful daughters, has over five years of experience working in public health overseeing programs that serve thousands of families focused on ameliorating barriers, improving health, and decreasing health inequities.  She currently serves as a Community Health Program Specialist for the Maternal, Child, and Family Services branch with the County of San Diego.  In this role, she leads a collaborative effort to improve birth and maternal health outcomes for African-American families in San Diego County. Prior to this, Josephine was part of the California Youth Advocacy Network team where she provided trainings on youth engagement in tobacco control programs to public health professionals and organizations throughout the State of California.  Josephine was also part of Alameda County’s Tobacco-Use Prevention Education program, implementing and coordinating innovative youth development programs in schools and districts across Alameda County.

Christopher Perri, a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in the field of child development, was named executive director of Professional Child Development Associates in January 2020. Mr. Perri joined PCDA in 2018 as the head of its child and family counseling department before being named deputy executive director in 2019. He brings 20 years of practice supporting children with special needs and their families in a wide variety of settings, including leading other clinical nonprofit organizations in numerous states and countries. Christopher is confident that the developmental and relationship-based intervention model of DIR/Floortime that is used by PCDA across all its programs and services contributes to PCDA’s success in safely serving their families mostly remotely throughout the pandemic.

Linda Banks, Consultant
Linda Banks works as a Generational Healing Coach and Facilitator committed to supporting individuals, families and in institutions with confronting familial and societal systemic trauma. With an African centered social justice framework she has worked as a Youth Advocate, Mental Health Specialist, Educator, Activist and Advocate serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Linda is a Positive Discipline Certified Parenting and Classroom Educator, Encouragement Consultant, and Emotional Freedom Practitioner with over 20 years of experience creating culturally responsive youth development, social justice and family advocacy curriculum & training. Working passionately serving marginalized communities of color impacted by the foster care system, the juvenile justice system, the formally incarcerated, LGBTQIA youth and families and other underserved communities and in support of many marginalized groups. While working in diverse school settings, community-based organizations, residential facilities, and spiritual centers, she has created a unique framework that is trauma-informed, inclusive and strengths-based for radical transformation and healing. She is a dynamic motivational speaker, mentor, and coach that is dedicated to sharing strategies to liberate and empower through laughter and love that identifies as pansexual committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice.

Natasha is a Certified Positive Discipline Educator, veteran, military spouse, and mother to two autistic Black girls. Natasha has over seven years of exemplary leadership in the United States Army and has practiced Positive Discipline in her home and village for four years. She has blogged her entire experiences with motherhood and was featured on Oprah Magazine, Black Parent Magazine, and NBC Atlanta 11Alive. Her blog features traditional child-rearing, motherhood balance, Positive Discipline, and autism acceptance. Natasha created Supernova Momma to help Black and Neurodiverse parents break generational curses from systemic racism and ableism and raise children in a mutually loving, empathetic, and respectful environment using her four prong NEED system: Network, Empathize, Educate, and Demonstrate. Natasha offers Positive Discipline workshops and classes, One-on-One Parent Consultations, and public speaking. She is also the creator of “The Cool Calming Corner”, a Time-In printable poster set that features Black and/or multicultural children of different shades and hair styles, and teaches them emotional intelligence and coping strategies through a love of hip hop.

DenI Dayan has been a school psychologist since 2001, and has been a leader in promoting positive discipline in the classroom and beyond. For the past 8 years, she has invested much of her career in learning about trauma-informed practices, with a specific focus on helping adults develop stress resilience. As a global trainer, Deni has been instrumental in providing support to schools both local and abroad in countries such as Mexico, Kuwait and Italy.

Adia originated from Jamaican, immigrant parents and was born and raised in Southern California. Connecting with loved ones, cycling and keeping an assortment of plants alive help to keep her grounded. She maintains a License in Marriage and Family Therapy and in Private Practice, her primary focus is to support the improvement in relationship with self and others with a specialty in working with members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ + communities. She simultaneously functions as the Assistant Director of the Wraparound program at the San Diego Center for Children. There her aim is to support the success of the program while paying particular attention to the clinical development and professional growth of the highly qualified team.
Over the course of the last several years Adia has participated in the professional development and training of over 100 staff at the San Diego Center for Children (SDCC). She has embraced the topic of Social Justice in many forms including facilitating trainings in house and at a National Conference, initiating clinical discussions with Sr. leadership of the impacts of white supremacy on mental health, institutionalized racism, and explored professional advocacy with marginalized populations within oppressive systems like education, housing, juvenile justice and child welfare. Adia has had the honor of co-founding and co-facilitating a Black Staff Support Group and a Social Justice Process Group for the organization. She remains an active and inaugural member of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity in Action committee at SDCC where one of the chief goals is to establish a more inclusionary and egalitarian culture within the organization. She is also leading a workgroup tasked with creating and delivering training that support organization initiatives towards inclusivity, diversity, and equity.

Mojdeh Motamedi, Ph.D., recibió su doctorado en psicología clínica infantil con un título secundario en Desarrollo Humano y Ciencias de la Familia. El enfoque de su pasantía clínica predoctoral en Aurora Mental Health Center era trabajando con refugiados, traumas y escuelas, ya que recibió capacitación en Ambientes saludables y respuestas al trauma en las escuelas (HEARTS). Ha investigado y publicado estudios sobre intervenciones socioemocionales, programas escolares en países de ingresos bajos y medianos, e implementación, capacitación y supervisión/consultas de intervenciones basadas en evidencia. Actualmente es psicóloga en un hospital infantil y miembro del comité de La Alianza de Salud para Refugiados (RHA), una organización mayoritariamente dirigida por voluntarios que ha brindado la mayor parte de la atención médica, sin cargos, a los solicitantes de asilo y otras poblaciones vulnerables en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México. en Tijuana desde 2018. Bajo su cargo como coordinadora del equipo de salud mental para RHA, el número de encuentros de servicio se ha triplicado y ha crecido especialmente en prácticas para estudiantes, colaboraciones, capacitaciones y recursos.

Aisha Pope, LCSW, is ecstatic to be one of the tri-chairs of the Birth Of Brilliance Conference. She has worked in San Diego County's Children's Behavioral Health System of Care for the last 20 years.  Aisha has provided therapeutic services and clinical supervision in a variety of settings including outpatient, inpatient, residential, community/home based, private practice, and now telehealth. She currently works for San Diego Center for Children as a Program Director in the Foster Family Agency Stabilization & Treatment (FFAST) Program, and has a private practice, Roots & Wings Consulting, where she specializes in supporting BIPOC, youth 0-5, couples, and those needing support with parenting. She also currently co-chairs the county's CYFSOC Early Childhood Mental Health Subcommittee.  Aisha is proud to be a Registered Provider in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer. She is passionate about helping families to grow their connections to each other and community, reach their goals, and improve their resilience.

Renatta Escobedo is an Expressive Arts and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Renatta has a B.S. in Psychology from Alliant: California School of Professional Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Expressive Arts Therapy. Renatta has worked as a mental health clinician at a Juvenile Hall, Rape Crises Center and community clinic specializing in runaway youth / youth experiencing homelessness. Currently Renatta is the Program Manager of the Storefront: Youth Emergency Shelter and was recently a Per Diem Program Manager involved in the Unaccompanied Youth Program at the Convention Center.

Lodia Ruiz, MPA holds a specialization in Organizational leadership as well as a certificate in Trauma Informed Care. She currently is a Resource and Referral Social Services Program Director for the YMCA Child Care Resource Services managing the training and Navigation components for the Foster Care Bridge Program- a state and local collaborative effort with San Diego County Child Welfare Services. Lodia has been in the field providing direct service and advocacy to youth involved in probation systems, Foster Care programs and mental health programs for 18 years. As a bi-lingual, bi-cultural native San Diegan, Lodia uses her diverse background and professional experiences to the prevention and intervention of child abuse and child wellbeing on local as well as state levels.

Dr. Joshua Feder is Editor in Chief at the Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, where he has restructured the publication to actively address racial and cultural inequities. Dr. Feder also serves as Executive Medical Director at Positive Development, providing culturally sensitive and affordable evidence-based care for autistic children and families nationwide. Since 2009 Dr Feder has worked on legislation and policy at local, national, and international levels to address inequity in access to evidence-based care and increase choice of care for families. As an Executive member of the International Network on Peace Building with Young Children, Dr. Feder conducts program development and research in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, areas impacted by longstanding conflict. Dr Feder served on the inaugural Equity Committee of the California Association for Infant Mental Health, the Resource Group for Youth at the Border and Trauma & Disaster Committees of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and he is a committee member for the annual Birth of Brilliance mental health equity conference.

Jill Stansbury is a co-parent and teacher facilitator who has been supporting all kinds of families and teachers in classrooms and school buildings for over 25 years as a parent educator, positive classroom culture trainer, teacher, principal, social and emotional learning specialist, and mindfulness facilitator. Currently, she is an educational consultant that works with schools all over the world to holistically integrate social and emotional learning into their organizations. She identifies as bisexual and has always been a part of family structures that included prismatic youth. She is committed to expanding the definition of family so that the world is a place that works for and welcomes us all.

Glenda Linares, emigró a Estados Unidos del Salvador con su mama y hermana cuando tenía 5 años. Su propia experiencia como migrante informan su trabajo y el cariño y apoyo que recibió de su abuela y comunidad informan sus intervenciones y prácticas. Glenda tiene 20 años trabajando con familias migrantes en Los Ángeles, desarrollando programas de educación temprana, abogacía y acceso a sistemas educativos. Sus métodos incluyen educación popular, empatía y la crianza y comunicación de conexión. Su enfoque ha sido crear oportunidades para desarrollar el liderazgo y empoderamiento de padres y madres en comunidades marginadas con bajos recursos. Glenda tiene una Licenciatura en Sociología de Pitzer College y actualmente está trabajando para PILA Global, apoyando con el desarrolló de intervenciones y espacios educativo-seguros que promueven el acceso al desarrolló infantil, educación popular, gozo y buena salud mental. En su experiencia diaria ella tiene la oportunidad de ver la fortalecen de las familias migrantes viviendo en albergues de Tijuana.

Precious has spent 15 years in education as a K-12 educator and administrator where she is working to advocate for students who require additional supports and services. Precious is a member of the local chapter of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc., a sorority of educators and counselors who provide mentoring and professional and professional development.

Rosa Ana Lozada, has dedicated nearly 40 years of service and leadership in behavioral health, system change, and advocacy for children, youth, and families. Ms. Lozada leads Harmonium by providing health prevention and intervention services to over 30,000 children, youth, and their families in collaboration with public and private partnerships. She applies her expertise as a licensed clinical social worker to advance integrated holistic approaches that support family centered and culturally responsive services.
Ms. Lozada serves on various boards and is a founding member of the California Association of Infant Mental Health. Ms. Lozada has received many proclamations and awards, including the County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Person of the Year Award. Ms. Lozada has written articles for mental health publications, serves as adjunct faculty at local universities, and provides training and consultation on a number of topics that include cultural responsiveness, trauma-informed practices, and system change

Melanie Morones, MFT/ATR/ECMHS, (she/they) is humbled to be in such amazing company as one of the tri-chairs of the Birth of Brilliance Conference. Melanie began her career in early childhood mental health in south central Los Angeles providing intensive mental health services to youth and their families, as well as participating as a facilitator in the Early Intervention Training Institute. There she was selected to be in the first cohort to complete and join the rosters of the CPP (Child Parent Psychotherapy) family. Melanie enjoys facilitating trainings and conversations in effort to support reflective practice, program development and ensure youth and families receive appropriate trauma-informed care. She holds an adjunct faculty position at Loyola Marymount University, providing group and individual Clinical Art Therapy supervision to emerging providers within the graduate program. Melanie is the Early Childhood Mental Health Clinical Director at the YMCA San Diego. Hailing from the smallest of rural towns in the White Mountains of Arizona, she is well versed in seeing the impact of racial (and other) inequities on youth and families. Her roots, combined with intentionally sought diverse professional experiences have cultivated a frame of compassionate curiosity & cultural reverence that is the foundation of both her clinical work and approach to life.

Talin Yesaie, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently at the San Diego Center for Children as a contracted Program Manager at an academic program in North County for students in grades K-12 implementing and incorporating Positive Discipline techniques both in the classroom and mental health services for students with high emotional and behavioral needs. She is also the co-founder of Roots and Wings Consulting where she provide individual, couple and family counseling specializing in 0-5 and teenagers.

Michelle Ly is the owner at Collaborative Collaborations providing psychotherapy, training, and consultations. She has provided multiple trainings to the community at large, education institutions, faith-based communities and service providers focusing on providing culturally responsive services and increasing awareness of mental health symptoms for youth from a cultural lens. As a child of a refugee family and growing up in diverse low-income communities, Michelle is acutely aware of how culture and intersectional identities plays a significant role in a person’s mental health. It is with a strong stance that she believes trauma and culturally responsive care is woven into all work and not just as an addition to supportive care.

Heidi Stern-Ellis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in the trauma/child maltreatment arena. For the past 30 years, she has proudly worked at Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center, Chadwick Center for Children and Families. She has functioned as a trauma therapy clinician, intern supervisor and clinical supervisor for therapists in the Trauma Counseling Program. Currently, she is the Clinical Supervisor for KidSTART, an award-winning Early Child Mental Health Treatment Program at the Chadwick Center. In this capacity, she facilitates individual and group reflective supervision for the program therapists as well as the parent care coordinators. She brings a vast amount of experience to these positions including the most cutting edge practices in trauma treatment. She is also co-chair of the Safety Committee and member of the Organizational Health and Anti-Racism Committees. These committees focus on the physical and psychological safety for all staff and consumers while infusing diversity, equity and inclusion at the Chadwick Center.

Ms. Stern-Ellis also provides trainings specific to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community at the local, state and national level. She is a trainer for the Public Child Welfare Training Academy where she focuses on assisting the Child Welfare System in decreasing the risk factors for LGBTQ youth. Ms. Stern-Ellis is a co-author of a trauma brief for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network which highlighted the risks and treatment for LGBTQ youth. She is also a past board member for Family Matters at the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Additionally, Ms. Stern-Ellis trains at the local, state and national level on trauma related topics and clinician health.

Chris Isaac is a Team Lead for Telecare Corporation's Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT). Chris currently provides clinical supervision to clinical interns at the Healthy Early Years Clinic at San Diego State University. He also works as a Trainer/Consultant with the San Diego County Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP-CA3) where he had previously been a Senior Project Specialist. Prior to this, Chris has worked for several programs in a variety of capacities dealing with families with children from 0-5. Chris holds his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and specializes in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health.
In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling the world and has traveled to over 25 countries across five continents. He enjoys spending time in the water, especially when it involves surfing, kayaking or fishing. He is also an avid hiker and has spent time on many of the trails throughout San Diego County. One of Chris’ favorite family traditions is traveling to Florida to see his mom, sister and nieces and nephews, as well as hosting get-togethers and cooking for his friends and family.