Community Collaboration
There's More to Parenting
To flourish, children
need relationships that provide a sense of safety and empathy. A secure
relationship with a parent can provide lifelong benefits for the child.
Essential elements of a secure relationship include attachment, attunement
and reflective functioning. These psychoanalytic ideas help parents support
their child’s cognitive development and psychological well being.
The Center for Parenting Studies (CPS) is comprised of mental health professionals,
community leaders, and community agencies working together to promote the
healthy growth and development of children and families. We believe community
support is essential for well functioning families, the basic unit of all
societies. CPS is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to child, parent
and family mental health services.
The Center for Parenting Studies is actively involved with the following
programs:
- The Reflective Parenting Program offers an innovative approach
to parenting. Individuals learn to be strong, effective parents while remaining
sensitive and responsive to their child’s needs. The program helps
parents successfully navigate and repair the disruptions that inevitably
occur within the parent-child relationship. We help parents understand the
often subtle, nonverbal cues that accompany a child’s behavior as
meaningful communications – a skill that facilitates healthy development
and secure attachments. CPS also trains mental health professionals who
then take this exciting and successful program to the families they serve.
Reflective Parenting workshops are currently offered at Family Service of Santa Monica, the Maple Center and New Center for Psychoanalysis.
Paulene Popek, Ph.D. and John Grienenberger, Ph.D., Co-Directors - Well Baby Community
Center, a family resource center, provides a variety of relationship
support services to children and families. This program offers individualized
play based intervention (IPI) for children with developmental delays, behavioral
challenges, sensory integration issues or impulse control problems. An online
resource, www.wellbabycenter.org, is provided for parents with young children.
Low fee or sliding scale fees are available.
Deborah Groening, Ph.D., Director - Thrive: Infant-Family Program is committed to understanding
the emotional life of infants. This interdisciplinary program provides education
for expectant families and prenatal groups, and emotional support for parents
of premature or critically ill infants. The program trains and educates
professionals from the community.
Julie McCaig, Ph.D. and Paulene Popek, Ph.D. Co-Directors