AC21 - D2 - Integrating Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model into Reflective Case Consultation

Amy Huffer, PhD, LCSW, IMH-E (IV-C)  is a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist HealthySteps, a program of ZERO TO THREE. Dr. Huffer began her work at ZERO TO THREE in 2019 and currently supports the dissemination of HealthySteps in California.  She has supported various specialties in applying infant and early childhood mental health principles, including pediatric clinics, child welfare, court systems, child care, and community mental health.  Dr. Huffer has been endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Mentor by the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health and regularly provides trainings and reflective consultation to professionals serving infants, toddlers, and their families.

A licensed clinical psychologist and NAPA/UC Davis Infant-Parent Mental Health fellow, Dr. Mike Sherman has worked at the nexus of community mental health and child welfare systems for more than 15 years.  Dr. Sherman is the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Clinical Manager within ZERO TO THREE's Safe Babies program, aiming to build and strengthen communities, at the Child/Family and State/Site Levels, so that parents and families have access to needed supports and services, thus lessening the risk for child welfare involvement. 

Gwen Doland is the Substance Use Disorder Clinical Manager for the National Infant-Toddler Court Program (ITCP) at ZERO TO THREE. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). Gwen offers over 20 years of experience working with young children and parents who have experienced significant adversity. Gwen has worked as an outpatient substance abuse counselor with teens and adults, in a long-term women and children’s substance abuse program, and provided in-home services to families involved in the child welfare system. As a therapist she has worked with infants through the lifespan and has had a significant amount of training and clinical consultation from specialized consultants in the areas of trauma and attachment, including training and consultation in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). The individuals she has provided services to in these positions have had histories of trauma, mental health needs, and substance misuse. Prior to joining the ZERO TO THREE National Infant-Toddler court program, she was the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Services at a private nonprofit agency in Iowa and worked extensively with various programs and agencies to infuse Trauma Informed Care into their service delivery model.  Gwen provided consultation to the Des Moines Service Area Parent Partner program, served as a local stakeholder and provider on the Polk County Infant-Toddler Court Team, and Polk County Juvenile Court Trauma Assessment work group.  As a member of the National Infant-Toddler Court Program (ITCP) she is excited to be able to offer expertise in the areas of infant toddler mental health, complex trauma, and substance use disorders.