Seeds Planted

My mom remembers me often wandering off to follow babies and young children when I was very young myself.  That curiosity and fascination with little ones has proven to be lifelong.   As I grew older I became a babysitter, nanny, and preschool teacher. I was sure I wanted to be a teacher. A natural choice for someone raised by two generations of teachers! But a key experience in my freshman year of college helped me realize that I was much more interested in the one child who was struggling to cope with separation from his mama, than tending to the group. I transferred colleges and went on to study psychology with a growing fascination around early development, attachment and early trauma.  After a short time working within a therapeutic preschool and traditional child care setting I went back to school to get my masters in social work, moving from Boston to Michigan. Young children remained my focus and the seeds of my desire to support parents in forming healthy, nurturing relationships with their children were planted!

Sprouts Nurtured

Once I graduated with my MSW I worked as a therapist with families with young children, most of whom had experienced inter-generational trauma. I had the good fortune to be in an agency that shared my vision for working with families with young children and shifting toward supporting family preservation and trauma prevention. In this space I was mentored and given room to grow as a supervisor and then as an administrator and innovator of programs.  I continued my education with a post-graduate certificate specializing in infants, toddlers and families and I began supervising graduate students, both through the University of Michigan School of Social Work. It was during the course of that certificate program that one of my mentors (unexpectedly to me!) connected my fascination with babies and parents with my own experience of being adopted as an infant. This was a big “ah ha!” moment for me as infant adoption wasn’t regarded as impactful as I was growing up (more on this here). At the same time science was giving us dramatic and compelling evidence about the importance of our earliest relationships on the brain. This science mixed with attachment theory fueled my passion and desire to keep learning and growing.

Over the years I worked in a variety of settings including a volunteer doula program, a mental health consultation program for early care providers and parents, as well as outpatient clinics and private practice.  And as my work continued to center around supporting those who had experienced early trauma, I also became aware of my need and my clients’ needs for the JOY of connection. The heaviness of trauma can rob a family of joy. And so I sought out training in infant massage, music and movement. Touch, music, movement…. surely those were key elements in healing and building healthy connections!

I also grew more determined and curious about how to provide support and education earlier and earlier. What if I could meet with parents when they had questions and small concerns instead of when they were in the midst of a crisis or big struggle? And I came back to the needs of adoptive and blended families again and again. What if new adoptive parents had doulas? These questions continued to swirl in my mind as I continued with my private practice and consulting (they still do, honestly!).

Putting Down Roots

At the same time having a family and becoming a mother was something I longed for.  Later than most I became a wife as well as a step-mom to two amazing kids and then after a long journey, when it seemed so unlikely, my husband and I became parents to our youngest through adoption. 

And even with all of my education and years supporting other parents and families I wasn't prepared for how my own experiences of relinquishment and adoption would come to the surface as we navigated adoption and parenting our baby. In many ways my world was turned upside down as a new mother including my health, my relationships and my self-confidence.  Eventually I began to find my footing and my community. And I started a healing journey to reclaim my health, how I took care of myself and those I love most, as well as my sense of identity (eventually searching and discovering my biological family). So, in addition to lots of professional experience and education, I also have my own ever evolving catalog of observations, challenges, mistakes, and lessons learned.

My new experiences as a parent also deepened my resolve to approach my work with a holistic lens: seeing the whole child and their perceptions and experiences within their unique body, family, culture and community from in utero to present.

Education and License

• Licensed Masters Social Worker, State of Michigan (License #6801069033)

• Master of Social Work, Interpersonal Practice/Children and Youth, University of Michigan, School of Social Work

• Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of Rochester

Certifications

• Distinguished Infant Mental Health Mentor - Clinical, IMH-E®, Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health

• Post-Graduate Certificate, Working with At-Risk Infants, Toddlers and Their Families, University of Michigan, School of Social Work

• Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Certificate, Institute for Integrative Nutrition

• Certified Educator of Infant Massage, Infant Massage USA

• Safe and Sound Protocol Certified Practitioner, Unyte/iLS

• Being With Advanced Practitioner and registered facilitator of Being With - the parent course

Recent Professional Development

• Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss & Advanced Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss, Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, & Death

• Level 1 Theraplay, Theraplay Institute

• Moving Beyond Trauma Informed, Brave Brains with Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH

• Being With for Professionals, Robyn Gobbel, LMSW-C

• Michigan Reflective Practice Symposium, Mi-AIMH

• Matters of Equity, Mi-AIMH

Presentations

• Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health bi-annual conference

• Expert Voices in Adoption virtual conference and monthly webinar series

• Supporting Families with Young Children conference (Michigan)

• Early Childhood Conference, Michigan District, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

• Livingston County 4C Annual Conference (Michigan)
  

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