My Work in Therapeutic Early Intervention

photographs by Matthew Septimus

In 1979, I co-founded A Starting Place which is a therapeutic pre-school. I served as Executive Director and Chief psychologist providing clinical services for parents, children and staff until 1999. As a psychologist, I did play therapy, individual psychological assessments, classroom observations, curriculum implementation, parent training, parent groups and conducting professional workshops. I have provided some images taken during my time there.

Collaborating with parents has always been an essential part of my work. Parents know their children and often together, we were able to forge really positive solutions.

Observing children has always been a key part of my work. Trying to figure out ways to help them reach their potential was always the goal.

Children use their imaginations to tell wonderful, creative stories.

Playing, sharing and getting along has always been an essential feature of healthy development.

As Clinical Director, I coordinated many professional development training workshops to expand the content knowledge and clinical competencies for teachers and clinical psychologists including:

· Early Intervention-Inclusive Education. United States Military Academy Exceptional Family Member Program Army Community Services, West Point, New York

· Teaching Developmentally Disabled Children: a workshop by O. Ivar Lovaas. A Starting Place, Rockland County, New York.

· Auditory Training Seminar: a workshop with Annabel Stehli.  A Starting Place, Rockland County, New York

· Psychological Testing in the Preschool Child.  Workshop presented at the Down Syndrome Convention, New Paltz, New York

· Parenting and Advocacy: Early Intervention at Attitudes: Health Care and the Disabled, Conference, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.

· Co-Coordinator, Infant Program, Association for Retarded Children, Rockland County, New York.

· Program Design Consultant, Preschool Project- Follow-up Program to the Prenatal Project, Columbia University, New York New York

· Director, Transitional Program for Preschool Children, Association for Retarded Children, Rockland County, New York.

My publications in the area of early intervention and advocacy include:

· “The pressure of Early Intervention”, published in Exceptional Parent, 18(6), 1988. Her work in child advocacy and the foster care system led to her article:

· “Whose Rights are we Protecting, anyway? Children Today, May-June, 1989.