Please note that our Third Thursday Webinar is scheduled for October 24, 12:00- 1:00 pm to accommodate a professional development state wide training offered by SCIMHA  

October 24, 2019- 12:00pm-1:00pm

 Emma I. Girard, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry with the University of California Riverside, School of Medicine and Senior Clinical Psychologist with Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health: Preschool 0-5 Programs.  Dr. Girard’s passion for early intervention and prevention is noted by her work in the field of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy as both a Master Trainer with PCIT-International and a training partner with the University of California Davis PCIT Training Center.   She and her team in Riverside received the “Bright Idea Award” from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy in 2015 for their Mobile Prevention and Early Intervention (MPEI) Program.  Dr. Girard is an international and avid presenter in PCIT disseminating information to locations including Australia, Japan, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and throughout the United States.  Her passion to bring clinical experience from community-based organizations to inform research has produced significant collaborations with the Clinical Child program at West Virginia University and the University of California Davis PCIT Training Center.  She and her colleagues have authored Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers: Improving Attachment and Emotion Regulation to reach the some of the youngest members in our community.  

Dr. Girard will share  on her topic of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers, which is an early intervention program focused on improving attachment and emotion regulation for both caregivers and toddlers 12 months-24 months of age. Adapting the play therapy procedures of standard PCIT, parents are coded and coached in the use of therapeutic parenting practices proven to decrease problematic behaviors, improve children's language, and develop listening skills to encourage young children to follow directions. Dr. Girard will review the novel components for the special needs of toddlers, including specific procedures for promoting the attachment relationship and emotion regulation in both the caregivers and children. Central to the model is the understanding that difficult behaviors in toddlers are a sign of emotion dysregulation rather than deliberate defiance. It is with the assistance of a nurturing and sensitive caregiver that the child's capacity to manage emotion develops.