Family-Based Interventions for Child and Youth Mental Health Webinar Presenters

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Part 1: Infant Mental Health | November 7, 2022 | 9:30 am pst

Nucha Isarowong, PhD, LICSW, IMH-E®

Nucha is Director of the Advanced Clinical Training (ACT) Program at the Barnard Center for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at the University of Washington. In this current role, he works to diversify and expand the infant and early childhood mental health clinical workforce in the state of Washington by centering relationships and principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in program administration, curriculum, and delivery. He engages in efforts towards systems change by influencing multi-level systems integration of diversity-informed practice principles in the IECMH field broadly, and with specific attention to father engagement and (dis)Ability. Nucha is a ZERO TO THREE Fellow (2012-2013) and a member of the Academy of ZERO TO THREE Fellows Coordinating Committee. He also serves as a national workshop facilitator and member of the Executive Committee of the Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children and Families (Tenets [diversityinformedtenets.org]) Initiative.

 

Haruko Watanabe, MA, LMHC, IMH-E®

Haruko is a Washington Association for Infant Mental Health (WA-AIMH) endorsed Infant Mental Health Mentor and Program Manager at Navos Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Program in King County, WA.  Haruko began studying parent-child interactions in 1998 under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Barnard, and has worked with families with young children within various systems (e.g. child-welfare, early intervention, childcare/early learning, mental health) since 2003.  In addition to her Child-Parent Psychotherapy work with Medicaid eligible families, she provides reflective supervision/consultation and early childhood mental health consultation to providers serving young children and their families in King County.  Haruko is committed to engaging in shared learning with colleagues and communities to explore how impacts of trauma and racism show up in everyday practices and systems functioning, and ways to promote relationship-based healing in communities and organizations.  Her clinical perspective and consultation/mentoring practices have been informed by her personal experiences as an immigrant and having lived in three different countries.  She is a former Board Member for WA-AIMH and a Leadership Fellow/Instructor at University of Washington Barnard Center on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Advanced Clinical Training Program.

abigail bocanegra, MA, lmft

Abigail Bocanegra LMFT is the Founder and Director of Creative Heart Therapies (2018), where she holds positions as a bilingual/bicultural Expressive Arts Psychotherapist and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant.  She has extensive experience in working with diverse young children and their families in a variety of settings (i.e, community-based mental health agencies in Oakland/San Francisco, early learning/childcare in Spokane, and philanthropic private sectors). She is the co-developer and co-author of The Integrative Cultural Healing Model, a treatment approach intersecting Tribal Traditional Knowledge and Western-based practices to treat trauma and foster ancestral healing for Indigenous children (0-5) and their families. She is also the creator and author of the Family Play Group Curriculum, designed to strengthen and support relationships between young children and their parents residing at Rising Strong - a Family-Centered Treatment Center.

She holds a teaching position with the Advanced Clinical Training Program at the Barnard Center, co-facilitating curriculum designed to fill the gaps in knowledge and skills required to provide developmentally appropriate, diversity-informed, relationship-based clinical mental health interventions focused on the early relational health and well-being between infants, young children, and their families. She also provides Reflective Practice for Spanish-Speaking Bilingual clinicians enrolled as students in the program, as well as with mental health providers serving young children and their families in Spokane County. As a consultant, she offers educational workshops and training aligned with core competencies and field expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusive practices as foundational to attachment, trauma, family systems, workforce development, and organizational systems.  She currently practices as an Expressive Arts Psychotherapist, utilizing primarily culturally resonant arts practices serving families impacted by colonial intergenerational trauma, racialized trauma, and discriminatory systemic immigration policies. Along with DEI advocacy, her practice and consultancy are strongly influenced by her lived experience as First Generation Mexican-American/ Chicanx. Her practice is grounded in Nahuatl Philosophy of In Ixtli In Yolotl - a pursuit of a life purpose, living in alignment with the wisdom in consciousness and the strength and guidance of the heart.

 

Part 2: Children’s Mental Health | December 2, 2022 | 3 pm pst

Janine jones, PhD

Cindy Ola, phd

Part 3: Adolescent Mental Health | december 7, 2022 | 1 pm pst

Jessica Leith, MS, LMFT

Jessica has worked with youth & families in both public and private settings for the past 15 years and is trained in numerous Evidence-Based Treatments targeting behavioral issues. Jessica is Teaching Faculty in the Couples and Family Therapy program at Antioch University and owns Leith Counseling & Consultation, PLLC in Seattle, WA. She was previously training manager and practice coach at the University of Washington’s Evidence Based Practice Institute and spent 7 years as a Crisis Intervention Specialist for youth and families.

Alanah M. Dillard, LMFT, MHP, CMHP

Alanah M. Dillard is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Child Mental Health Professional who has earned a dual degree from Georgia State University in psychology and sociology, and later obtained a master's degree from Pacific Lutheran University. Over the course of her career she has become certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and specializes in children, youth, teenagers and young adults’ issues such as adjustments and life stage transitions, just to name a few. She has experience working and partnering in the school district, community mental health settings, psychiatric hospitals/inpatient services and residential treatment facilities. Alanah has a commitment and passion for serving children and families from birth through the age of 26 of special populations: foster care/system involvement, LBGTQ+, girls of color addressing trauma, mood disturbances, identity and self-esteem, ethical and racial relations with an emphasis in faith/spirituality. Alanah was featured in Hopelink Magazine: Equity Matters, Resiliency and COVID. Alanah is the Founder of Ace Odyssey Counseling Services PLLC where she creates intentional space for clients to make fulfilling shifts in their life towards healing and restoration.  Alanah is an active member of her faith community and a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, a predominately Black Greek letter organization, and serves on the executive board for her local chapter. 

 

jason medina, ma, lmhc

For over twenty five years Jason has worked in health and human services. He has spent the bulk of that time as a family therapist, consultant/ trainer in juvenile justice and child welfare. Jason specializes in evidence based protocols providing direct intervention to families, individuals and children.  He also provides supervision, consultation, training and support to family therapists, juvenile probation officers and child welfare workers.

Jason is a co-developer of the EBPI STAY model and has a private practice in north Seattle. He was adjunct faculty at the Leadership Institute of Seattle providing master’s level courses in ethics and law, solution focused therapeutic techniques, crisis intervention and research methods of family therapy. Jason has trained and supported teams in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Holland, Australia and other locations around the United States.

Part 4: Complex Situations | december 14, 2022 | 12 pm pst

Claudia Pineda

 

Jim theofelis, MC, LMHC, CDC

Jim Theofelis has been serving the children, youth, and families in Washington state for over 40 years. He began his career working as an outreach worker and shelter staff for young people experiencing homelessness. He has worked in multiple residential and outpatient treatment centers and was the clinical director at the Children’s Institute for Learning Differences (CHILD), YouthCare and the Mental Health Clinic in King County Juvenile Detention. He has operated a private practice (Clinical and Consultative Services) since 1985 where he works with families, individuals and couples as well as providing clinical consultation to other professionals. In 1999 he authored and advocated for the HOPE Act legislation which was passed by the Washington legislature in 1999 and  funded HOPE beds and the Responsible Living Skill Program. In 2001 Jim founded The Mockingbird Society a nationally recognized non-profit organization that sponsors the Mockingbird Youth Network and the Mockingbird Family an innovative approach to delivering foster care.  Jim has held a leadership role in the passage of over 30 pieces of legislation including Extended Foster Care which has become a national model for reducing the number of youth who become homeless after foster care. In 2017 Jim was the inaugural executive director for A Way Home Washington which sponsors the Anchor Community Initiative designed to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness across Washington state. In 2021 Jim founded NorthStar Advocates (www.northstaradvocates.org) which continues his mission-driven work of supporting and strengthening young people, families and communities as a strategy to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness and system involvement. Jim is a state licensed mental health counselor and a certified chemical dependency counselor in Washington state.  He is the proud recipient of the Congressional Angels in Adoption Award and the national Jefferson Award for public service. Jim is married and has two adult children.