AC21 - A5 - Cultivating Mindfulness to Support Early Childhood Professionals

Claudia is a native of Arizona and has been in the field of mental health for over 12 years. She holds a master's degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego and a post graduate specialization in Infant/Family Clinical Practice from the Harris Institute. She is licensed as an associate marriage and family therapist and holds an endorsement from the Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition of Arizona; she is also a recipient of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Minority Fellowship for her work with minority populations. Her areas of specialization include attachment theory, adverse childhood experiences and trauma, developmental psychopathology, expressive arts therapy, and infant-toddler mental health. In her free time, you can find her spending time with loved ones, dancing, practicing mindfulness or drinking coffee.

Debbie is a mental wellness and family advocate. At CSCPBC, she manages their Brazelton Touchpoints, Infant Mental Health, and Reflective Practice training initiatives. In 2020, she was elected to be a part of the inaugural Zero to Three Moving Forward with Mindfulness cohort and she uses the Zero to Three Mindfulness Toolkit to integrate and introduce mindfulness to early childhood educators, therapists, social workers, and home visiting nurses within the CSCPBC Healthy Beginnings system of care. Debbie is a proud graduate of Howard University (B.A., Communications), Palm Beach Atlantic University (M.S., Mental Health and Marriage & Family Therapy), and she is presently a doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University (Marriage & Family Therapy). Debbie's clinical practice is focused on infant mental health, holistic wellness, soul care and mindfulness. She is also passionate about researching and finding solutions to generational trauma, epigenetics, suicide, and healing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). For 2019- 2021, Debbie was selected as an AAMFT/SAMHSA MFP national Doctoral Fellow. The AAMFT/SAMHSA MFP stands for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) in partnership with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Her MFP project is focused on using the lens of IMH diversity-informed tenets, Satir Family Therapy, and reducing African American infant mortality. All in all, scholarship and service is an integral part of Debbie's journey; within the community she is a Women of Tomorrow Mentor, Northend RISE volunteer, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated member, Florida Family Therapy Alliance Advisory Board member, Healthier Neighbors Palm Beach County Steering Committee member, Florida Association of Infant Mental Health student member, and honors member of Delta Kappa- Omicron Chapter (International Marriage & Family Therapy Honor Society). As a student member of the T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society (TLJMS), she hosts workshops on compassion fatigue and mindfulness in the medical community. In 2018, she was honored as a TLJMS Healthcare Professional of the Year (non-physician) nominee for increasing awareness on mental health in the black community. Due to her tireless service, she was also recognized by the Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition "Community Champion Awards" twice as 2019 Faith-Based Nominee and 2021 Civic Nominee. Lastly, she is honored to have been selected as a 2021 Distinguished 400 Award Winner from the 400 Commission.

Maria is deeply committed to and passionate about supporting relationships, especially the earliest ones, with a spirit of nurturing and inquiry. In her current role, she does this through directing the Mindfulness in Early Childhood Project at ZERO TO THREE. Her current work focuses on increasing understanding and use of mindful awareness and compassion strategies in early childhood settings and parenting. As a trained meditation instructor, Maria supports others in discovering creative ways to integrate mindfulness in their parenting, relationships and work.

Jennifer Mitchell earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University where she specialized in Parent-Infant Mental Health. Some of her formative professional experiences prior to earning her doctorate were as a Child Welfare Specialist for the state of Oklahoma, as a transition counselor for girls in an alternative educational setting, and in her multiple roles within a domestic violence shelter in Florida. These experiences solidified the importance of relationship-based intervention and set her on the path of early childhood mental health. She currently serves as the Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Innovation at The Children's Center, a non-profit mental health agency serving children birth to 6 years. She holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position in the University of Utah's School of Medicine, and is co-Investigator on a research pilot focused on fostering an occupational environment of compassion and wellbeing with mental health paraprofessionals. She is also co-Investigator for multiple pilots focused on building a system of trauma-informed early childhood professionals. She is a board member and Past President of the Utah Association for Infant Mental Health and a board member of the Utah Psychological Association. She also serves on Utah's Early Childhood Advisory Council, Utah's Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Council, the Utah Registry for Autism and Developmental Disorders Oversight Committee, and numerous other community groups aimed at supporting young children and their families. She is trained in multiple evidence-based, trauma-informed treatments for young children, infant massage, and preschool mindfulness. Her current focus is supporting interdisciplinary professionals working with young children and families, and supporting alignment across early childhood systems. She is a current Fellow with ZERO TO THREE National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.