Infants and toddlers rely on their parents to make sense of their worlds. A healthy primary relationship — where a parent mindfully attends to a child’s emotional needs—is crucial to normal growth and development.

Through this website and our community center in Mar Vista, California, we strive to support families from the very beginning—and to help parents be curious and understanding about their children’s behavior. By fostering in them creativity, confidence, and resilience, we help children become flexible in the face of life’s many challenges. At Well Baby Center, we have created an interactive and dynamic space in order to provide relationship support to local families with children 0-5 years of age.

Why is mental health so important to infants?

At Well Baby, we know that the mother/infant relationship is the template for all future relationships. This first relationship (whether with mother or other primary caregiver) is co-created, and one in which the child influences the relationship as much as the mother does. Research has shown that this initial bond impacts a child’s brain development in fundamental ways. When there’s a good fit, the parent easily helps the child co-regulate emotional states (which are the precurser to the child having self-control), enables social-emotional health, and promotes future success in school. When the relationship experiences struggles - either because the fit between the parent's temperament and the child's is problematic, or because there are emotional vulnerabilities in the mother or developmental/neurological disabilities the infant, or when there are environmental stressors (financial difficulties, moving,birth of second child, etc.) interfering with the mother-infant bond, finding emotional/professional support from the community and Well Baby staff, can make all the difference in the world for parent, child and family.

How does scientific research inform the field of infant-family mental health?

Well Baby’s integrative, pan-disciplinary perspective is rooted in infant-family mental health which draw from the theories of psychoanalytic family systems, developmental psychology and attachment theory. In addition, we are informed by cutting-edge infant brain research which has shown that when we as parents are able to reflect on our interactions with our children including how our past affect the way in which we interact with them, three things occur: we don't burden them with our unresolved conflicts, we help them to reach their developmental potential, and we help them to build satisfying relationships with others.

CENTER STAFF:

Deborah Groening, MFT, E. D., Well Baby Center, Individual, Child and Family Psychotherapist through Deborah Groening, MFT, Marriage and Family Therapy, Inc., Mindful Parenting Group facilitator. deborah@wellbabycenter.org

Dr. Debra Bendell, PhD, Professional Director, Professor of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Fielding Graduate University. drbendell@wellbabycenter.org

Mary Potenti, MFT, Clinical Program Director, Certified RDI Consultant, ATR (Registered Art Therapist). mary@wellbabycenter.org

Eileen O'Sullivan, B.A., Administrative Manager. eileen@wellbabycenter.org

Debra Stambler, Office Manager/Executive Assistant, deborahs@wellbabycenter.org

Daniela Valdivia, Office Administrator, daniela@wellbabycenter.org

Dalit Gev, MFT, Parenting Group Coordinator; Psychotherapist. dalit@wellbabycenter.org

Bonnie Nelson, M.A., MFT Intern; Systems Manager/Clinical Coordinator, bonnie@wellbabycenter.org

Karen Savlov, Psy.D., MFT, Early Intervention Program Coordinator, karen@wellbabycenter.org

Shannon Barrero, Marketing Coordinator, shannon@wellbabycenter.org

Paul Rother, Computer Consultant

ADVISORY BOARD:

Ed Tronick, Ph.D., Director, Child Development Unit, University of Massachusetts, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry.

Alessia Gottlieb, M.D., Neuropsychiatrist, Advisory Board. Co-Medical Director of the UCLA Child and Family Trauma Center.

Bonnie Yates, Attorney, focused legal practice on Special Education and instrumental in helping hundreds of children obtain vital educational services. 

AFFILIATES:

Audra Vaisbort, Director, ChicosChicas/ Lango.

Jane Stefani Kasdan, Licensed and Certified Pregnancy and Infant Massage Therapist.

Heidi Swedberg, Actor, Musician, and Music Together Teacher.

Thrive Family Program, Thrive is composed of child and adult psychoanalysts who offer their services at a reduced rate at UCLA's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They will lead the "Becoming Three" group for expecting parents at Well Baby Center.

Systems and Web Site Special Thanks:

Linda Preuss
MAC and Systems Network Consultant

Tanja Richter
Graphic Designer Consultant

Ann Summa
Photography