AC21 - B4 - A Framework to Honor Cultural Diversity in Reflective Practice Facilitation

Julia earned her MS in occupational therapy at Boston University's Sargent College and has been practicing as a licensed occupational therapist since 2013. Currently, Julia works for Seneca Family of Agencies as the assistant director of Maya Angelou Academy and Building Blocks Preschool where she oversees the therapeutic preschool program. She also serves as the trauma-informed care/occupational therapy consultant to their five non-public schools and other mental health programs. In this role Julia provides support to staff through modeling strategies with students, clinical consultation, trainings to the multidisciplinary team of staff and consultation to administrative teams to ensure policies and procedures are culturally relevant, trauma informed and healing focused. In addition to her work at Seneca, Julia is a faculty mentor in the UC-Davis Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship in Napa, CA.Prior to coming to Seneca, Julia worked for A Better Way, Inc. in Oakland, CA providing direct therapy for children birth through adolescence, who have extensive trauma and/or are involved in the child welfare system, and who have difficulty with sensory and emotional regulation. Julia's consultation and trainings in the community focus on the ways in which early childhood trauma impacts the development and function of the sensory system, highlighting the ways in which providers of any discipline can utilize sensory-based strategies to promote regulation in their clients. Julia is a certified Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics trainer, faculty mentor and presenter and graduate of the UC Davis-Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship and is trained in multiple therapeutic models. She has completed certification in: Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT Phase I and II) and the Neurosequential Model of Reflection, Attachment, Regulation and Competency Model (ARC), the Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO), Fussy Baby Level 1, NCAST Feeding Scale, and various Cultural Humility trainings including train-the-trainer. In 2020, Julia was awarded the Bruce Perry Spirit of the Child Award for her outstanding work on behalf of young children by the Parent-Infant Child Institute in Napa, CA. Though early childhood mental health and education is her passion, she can also be found on hiking trails around the Bay Area for solo hikes or day trips with her person and pup!

Vasudha is a relationship-oriented Licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience in direct service with infants, children, and families, clinical consultation, training, reflective practice facilitation, and supporting program and staff development. She holds a Master's degree in Social Work with an emphasis on Mental Health from the University of Southern California. She is also endorsed as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator II by CA-CIFECMH. Vasudha is the co-founder of Dear Families, a practice that provides modern wellness groups, parenting workshops, and parent consultations. In her practice, Vasudha is committed to providing science-based information, space for deep reflection, and opportunities to build community for parents. She also provides reflective practice facilitation to practitioners. Vasudha's work is rooted in sensitivity to the unique culture of every infant, child, family and practitioner she works with. She is a current board member at the California Association for Infant Mental Health. Vasudha's work experience encompasses providing mental health services focused on trauma and healing to children and families involved with Child Welfare. She worked at community mental health agencies for ten years providing individual, group and family psychotherapy for children birth through age 21 and families who had experienced extensive, multigenerational trauma. Her approach includes using trauma and healing oriented practices to support families. She continues to work collaboratively in that space providing training and consultation to providers. Vasudha is a graduate and faculty member of the UC Davis-Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship. She has extensive training in infant-family and early childhood mental health, trauma, neurobiology, transdisciplinary approaches, reflective practice and relational oriented leadership. She is trained and certified in: Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT Phase I), the Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO), Parent-Child Interaction Feeding Scale, Brazelton Touchpoints, Positive Parenting Program, Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Tool, and other therapeutic approaches. When not working, Vasudha can be found in the kitchen cooking and baking!