"Rooted in Hope: Healing Our VillageThrough Empowerment and Connection"
Date: Friday and Saturday November 14-15, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Embassy Suites Riverfront Sacramento, 100 Capitol Mall
20 Dynamic Sessions: Fatherhood, Child Welfare, Reflective Functioning, Resilience, Babies, Advocacy,
H.O.P.E., Art, Movement, Decolonizing EC Mental Health, Trauma, Diversity, and Community Healing
KEYNOTES
Alex Briscoe
Reorienting child-servingsystems toward social justice,
moving beyond pathology.
Nikkia Young, PhD:
Grounded in Research inPsychology & Neurology, Centered
in Joy, Justice & Inclusion.
Freedom Community Clinic:
Ancestral Healing, revolutionary,community-centered Whole-Person
Healing to the People.
Discover the
Journey Ahead
Join CalAIMH Nov 13-15 at Embassy SuitesRiverfront, Sacramento, for a transformative conference on infant mental health, equity & advocacy. Explore keynotes, workshops, and Advocacy Day! Early Bird ends Sept 11th.
FRIDAY MORNING KEYNOTE SESSION
Alex Briscoe:
Principal, Strategy and Systems Change
NAVIGATING AN UNPRECEDENTED REFORM LANDSCAPE:
Principal, The California Children’s Trust Alex's executive leadership spans cross-sectoral social determinants of health, innovating revenue-generating justice initiatives, and managing healthcare finance and administration. He excels in EMS system design, behavioral health assessment, technical assistance, crisis intervention, mental health stabilization, Medicaid revenue maximization, systemic change, and philanthropic conceptualization and implementation.
FRIDAY AM SESSIONS
Choice 1
Danille Rivera MSW
Why Birth to Five Policies in Child Welfare Matter
Danielle Rivera, MSW is a Children’s Service Administrator II at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
Danielle is currently a manager over the new DCFS Birth to Five program that supports practice improvement efforts with families and their very young children when they have to encounter child welfare.
Danielle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and endorsed in the state of California as an Infant-Parent Mental Health Specialist and a Reflective Practice Facilitator, II.
Choice 2
Carly Tolbert LCSW, IFECMHS, RPFII
Rooted in Relationship: Decolonizing Early Childhood Mental Health for Families and Communities
Carly Tolbert is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has spent more than a decade in service to children and families in community mental health settings in and around Los Angeles. She is the Founder of Kaftan Collective, an organization grounded in the practice of embodied awareness as a pathway to communal healing for Black, Indigenous and POC individuals, families, and communities. With a passion for supporting children ages birth to five and their families, Carly has dedicated much of her career to promoting trauma-informed, reflective and culturally attuned clinical care.
Carly is committed to the work of decolonizing mental health; particularly in her hometown of South Central Los Angeles, where resources for holistic, culturally appropriate, mental health treatment are limited. Carly has dedicated her work to helping others find their voices, embody their power and bask in the beauty of their lived experience. She believes wholeheartedly in the practice of rest as a birthright and necessity to sustaining the path of liberation and wellness.
Carly holds a Master’s degree in Social Welfare from UCLA and professional endorsements as both an Infant- Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator II. She is also certified in Child Parent Psychotherapy and Reflective Parenting.
Choice 3
Jesse Bernal LMFT
From Awareness to Advocacy: Standing with Trans and Gender Expansive Children in Early Childhood
Jesse Bernal, MA, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant based in Southern California.
He holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and specialized certifications in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Reflective Practice.
He is endorsed in California as an Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator II.
With almost 20 years of experience, Jesse has focused his work on supporting the social-emotional development of young children, promoting inclusive practices, and addressing the long-term impacts of early trauma through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens.
He provides consultation and training to Head Start, Early Head Start, early education programs, and mental health organizations nationwide.
Additionally, Jesse is an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College and a contracted clinical supervisor at AMCS.
His work is rooted in the values of equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and social justice, with a passionate commitment to ending early childhood expulsion and supporting the wellbeing of children, families, and providers.
FRIDAY PM SESSIONS
Choice 1
Tiffany López Director of Community Clinic Collaborations; Sabrina Valadez Director of School Based Healing.
Community Healing is Family Healing: A discussion on community health advocacy in the Bay Area
A Brooklyn, NY native, I was led to Traditional Chinese Medicine through my own experiences with loved ones who had not received the healing they hoped for when using Western Medicine alone.
I set out to practice a medicine that was holistic in nature with the intention of sharing it widely and especially in communities that lacked access to a variety of
healing modalities.
I believe that all healing practices should be equally accessible to all people in order to ensure our own good health and that of our society.
In my day to day life, I enjoy acting silly with my beloved children and nerding out over plants, the universe, speculative/science fiction, camping and writing.
Choice 2
Desiree Yoro Yoo LCSW.
Centering Babies and Cultivating Conditions for a World They Deserve
Desiree Yoro Yoo, LCSW is the daughter of Filipino immigrants and a mother to 2
multi-cultural children.
Desiree is endorsed in California as an Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Mentor.
She works as a as a Program Associate II at WestEd, supporting technical assistance and workforce development for Prenatal-to-Five providers.
Choice 3
Mary Claire Heffron PhD & Danielle Rivera MSW
Rooted in Hope, Nurturing Action and Connection
Danielle Rivera, MSW is a Children’s Service Administrator II at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
Danielle is currently a manager over the new DCFS Birth to Five program that supports practice improvement efforts with families and their very young children when they have to encounter child welfare.
Danielle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and endorsed in the state of California as an Infant-Parent Mental Health Specialist and a Reflective Practice Facilitator, II.
Mary Claire Heffron PHD. Mary Claire Heffron is a psychologist with broad experience locally, nationally, and internationally in the infant, family, and early childhood field, including clinical work, supervision, program development, consultation, professional training, teaching ,advocacy and research. She is California endorsed Reflective Practice Mento, a Zero to Three fellow, a Fullbright Scholar, and the author of Reflective Supervision and Leadership in Infant and Early Childhood Programs.
FRIDAY CLOSING KEYNOTE
Whole Group Closing
Mihyun Lee
MA, AMFT, RSMT, CLMA
Relationship and Movement
Mihyun has trained in dance since 1992 in South Korea.
The root of her movement principles came from learning Korean Traditional Dance, Ballet, and Modern dance. She is a Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and a Certified Laban Movement Analyst.
She is a Ph.D. candidate in Somatic Psychology and certified in Adult Attachment Projective Picture System, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, Rosen Method & Dance/Movement Therapy ,Counseling Psychology, and a Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellow.
SATURDAY MORNING KEYNOTE SESSION
Nikkia Young, PhD
Director of Counseling, The Bay School Founder, Nikkia Young Consulting
Embracing the Opportunities Within This Crisis Moment: Grounding in Purpose, Nurturing Resilience and Cultivating Healing Justice
Nikkia Young, PhD is an equity and racial justice oriented educator, consultant and licensed clinical psychologist. She has served on the teaching faculty at Women’s Therapy Center in Berkeley, CA, Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology, and California School of Professional Psychology. In addition to consulting and presenting nationally and internationally, Nikkia is the Upper School Counselor at Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA.
Nikkia’s early career experiences as a gymnastics, dance and martial arts instructor turned Kindergarten teacher taught her to improvise and listen, to integrate movement and play, to keep her heart open during conflict and to attune to the deep needs of a group. From youth activists to business professionals and organizational leaders, Nikkia’s coaching, consultation and workshop participants find inspiration, joyful engagement and the courage to work hard, learn deeply and make change that makes them proud.
SATURDAY AM KEYNOTE SESSION
Choice 1
Vilma Reyes PsyD.
A relationship-based approach to healing after trauma: Introduction to Child-Parent Psychotherapy CPP
Dr. Vilma Reyes is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco in the Child Trauma Research Program. Since 2009, she has been providing Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) services, training, clinical supervision, consultation and coordinating community-based mental health outreach services and evaluation.
She is a national trainer in CPP and has co-authored articles and chapters on CPP theory and application.
Dr. Reyes also has experience offering consultation, supervision and training in trauma informed systems in school-based settings.
Dr. Reyes is an immigrant from Peru and is devoted to increasing access to trauma informed services for Latinx immigrant families.
She has done several lectures in national conferences on the intersection of immigration and trauma; with a focus on asylum seekers and refugees exposed to armed conflict, systemic oppression and racism.
Choice 2
Aisha Pope LCSW
HOPE - The Other Side Of ACEs
Aisha Pope, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years in San Diego’s Children’s Behavioral Health System of Care, she has provided therapeutic services and clinical supervision in various settings.
As Director of Foster Care Services at San Diego Center for Children, she oversees clinical operations for youth in foster care.
She is a Certified H.O.P.E. Trainer and Champion, a Positive Discipline Lead Trainer, and co-authored the Positive Discipline Tools for Kids Social Emotional Learning program.
She serves on the boards of the Positive Discipline Association and CalAIMH, and co-chairs the Birth of Brilliance Conference, focusing on racial equity in children's services.She is the author of “My Brother-Autism- and Me” and a proud mother of two.
Choice 3
Carlos Guerrero M.D.,LCSW
"Engaging Fathers, Nurturing Minds: Father-Friendly Approaches to Early Childhood Mental Health"
Carlos A. Guerrero, M.D., LCSW, was born and raised in Colombia South America. Carlos migrated to USA 27 years ago.
Dr. Guerrero has an M.D. from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, (Bogotá, Colombia) and a master’s in clinical social work from the California State University East Bay. Carlos is an Alumni of the Irving B. Harris Early Childhood Mental Health Training Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital; He is a Advisory Board Member for the Early Childhood Mental Health Professional Development Network of part of the Irving Harris Foundation.
Currently Carlos works as a Clinical Social Worker with the Early Interventions Services at UCSF Benioff Children Hospital Oakland, where he provides direct home visiting therapy services for children 0-6 years old, as well as supervision, consultation and training to Early Childhood Infant and Family Mental Health providers. In addition to this Carlos is part of the development and implementation team of the Resilience Clinic at the UCSF Benioff Children Hospital Outpatient Services.
Carlos has been an active member of the Fussy Baby Network of the Erickson Institute for the past 15 years, and with them he is a trainer of the Facilitating Attuned Interaction (FAN) model for practitioners and supervisors. Carlos has been part of Circle of Security International since 2005, where he is a Facilitator’s Trainer and Fidelity Coach of the Circle of Security Parenting Program.
Carlos is a founding member of the Alameda County Fathers Corps. For the past 7 years Carlos has been an instructor at the Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health (IFECMH) Program in Monterey County providing consultation and training in English and Spanish to multidisciplinary cohorts of early childhood mental health service providers.
SATURDAY PM SEASIONS
Choice 1
Adriana E. Molina, MS, LMFT; IFECMHS, RPF
Adriana has spent over 25 years working with at risk children and families coping with everything from living with AIDS, Extreme Poverty, Domestic Violence, Gang Culture and Child Abuse and Neglect. Ms. Molina is a CA-IFECMH Endorsed Infant-Family & Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist & Reflective Practice Facilitator II and is currently the Chief Program Officer at Allies for Every Child in Los Angeles. Her focus in recent years has been to educate the community and stakeholders about Early Childhood Mental Health and strengthening System of Care communities serving children 0-5 and their families.
A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an adoptive parent, she has been described as a clinician by training, a social worker by trade and a community advocate in practice. Ms. Molina has been an advisory member for Sesame Street in Communities and an active participant in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. She provides training and consultation on topics related to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Leadership, Trauma and Developmentally Informed Services, and Community Collaboration that include the Impact of Implicit Bias and helping children (and adults) manage change and how to conceptualize family need and service delivery with an awareness of cultural, historical and current family and social context to promote improved outcomes.
Choice 2
Mary San Jose Molnar MA Ed
Constellation of Care: Child Development in the Context of Relationships
Mary San Jose Molnar is an experienced early childhood educator and infant mental health practitioner with over a decade of experience. She holds an MA in Education and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Justice. Her certifications include the Napa Infant Mental Health Fellowship and WestEd IECMH Consultant Training.
Her professional experience includes working as a Consultant for the WestEd Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Network (July 2025-Present), providing in-person and virtual mental health consultation to early childhood educators.
She is also a Lecturer at California State University, Dominguez Hills (August 2021-Present), where she teaches courses on anti-bias practices, critical foundations of education, and developmentally appropriate practices. Additionally, she has served as an Infant Mental Health Consultant for various ECE Programs since 2018.
Molnar co-authored "Let's talk about fires: A story and conversation guide for grown-ups and young children" (2025) and has presented on topics such as child development, trauma-informed practices, and reflective practice in early childhood. Her skills include reflective practice facilitation, infant and early childhood mental health, trauma-informed care, and anti-bias curriculum development.
Choice 3
Vivian Tamkin, PhD; Chioma Torres, MD; Helenia Quince, LCSW, PhD Candidate
Centering Gatekeeping from the Peripheral: Reflections from Women of African Ancestry Navigating Infant Mental Health Spaces and the Racial Contract
Vivian L. Tamkin, PhD, is a dual state licensed, community-oriented psychologist (CA and WI), and she is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University.
Dr. Tamkin holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology and a minor in Child Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIUC). She completed a specialized clinical postdoctoral fellowship in Child Development and Infant Mental Health from the Irving B. Harris Program in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado, Denver, School of Medicine.
Dr. Tamkin also completed a mentored research fellowship in the Health Disparities Research Scholars T-32 Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health. She is a fellow with the Life Course Research Intervention Network (LCIRN) as well as an alum of the NAPA Parent-Infant Mental Health Fellowship Program.
Clinically, Dr. Tamkin’s practice spans the life course, with an emphasis on community-oriented service. Her graduate level teaching holds an ecological systems framework which threads through to her qualitative research program. Utilizing a multi-method qualitative approach (e.g., in-depth, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, video data),
Dr. Tamkin’s target outcome is to operationalize reflective functioning through a culturally attuned lens to better inform the development and implementation of Black/African American maternal and child interventions across the life course.
Dr. Tamkin finds it critical to identify pathways which support increased understanding of emotional health and well-being in African American/Black maternal-child dyads.
SATURDAY CLOSING KEYNOTE
Whole Group Closing
Freedom Clinic - Ancestral Healing
Grounding in Our Childselves
A Brooklyn, NY native, I was led to Traditional Chinese Medicine through my own experiences with loved ones who had not received the healing they hoped for when using Western Medicine alone.
I set out to practice a medicine that was holistic in nature with the intention of sharing it widely and especially in communities that lacked access to a variety of healing modalities.
I believe that all healing practices should be equally accessible to all people in order to ensure our own good health and that of our society.
In my day to day life, I enjoy acting silly with my beloved children and nerding out over plants, the universe,
speculative/science fiction, camping and writing.
Register for Rooted in
Hope 2025
Secure your spot Nov 13-15 at Embassy SuitesRiverfront! Choose Full Price ($385 w/ 1-yr membership), Early Bird ($365, ends Sept 11th), Members ($285), or
Political Advocacy Day ($30). Join now to save!
CalAIMH Members: $285
Exclusive for CalAIMH members, this discounted rate offers full conference access at our lowest price.
Reduced conference and CEU costs, Free trainings, Communities of Practice, reflective practice, and IFECMH endorsement support opportunities.
Not a member? Join during registration to save 100!
Registration: $365
Access the full two-day conference experience, including all sessions, keynotes, and networking opportunities, plus a one-year CalAIMH membership.
Connect with professionals, explore cutting-edge research, and engage in reflective experiences to support children prenatal to five.
Your included membership unlocks free trainings, communities of practice, committee participation, and IFECMH endorsement support.
Political Advocacy Day: $30
Join us for a focused Advocacy Day session to amplify
your voice in advancing equity and policy for infant and
early childhood mental health.
Perfect for those seeking a shorter, impactful experience.
Get a CalAIMH Membership
Visit CalAIMH Membership Page to learn more and join today to access discounted conference rates and year-round benefits!
Every gift makes a difference.
Help us empower diverse voices! Donate to our scholarship fund:
Earn CEUs at Rooted in Hope 2025
Enhance your professional growth with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) at our Nov 13-15 conference in Sacramento! Perfect for clinicians, educators, and advocates.
Make your reservations now!
Visit www.sacramento.embassysuites.com and make a reservation using the group/convention code: 92T. Call (916) 326-5000 and let the Front Desk Agent know you would like to make a reservation under theCalAIMH discounted rate.Let’s make Rooted in Hope 2025 a success together!
Reservation deadline: Thursday, October 23, 2025.
