Stephanie has an extensive background in Early Childhood Education with 25 years of teaching experience in Palo Alto area schools.  She was trained at Bing Nursery School while getting her degree at Stanford and has taught all preschool age groups.  She owned her own small preschool in Palo Alto for 5 years and worked as a parent educator at The Children’s Health Council for 6 years where she was also the director of the Parent Education Program for 2 years. Since 2002 she has been working independently and for  Parents Place in Palo Alto as a Parent Educator and Preschool Consultant where she became the Parent Education Coordinator for Parents Place in San Mateo in January of 2007.  Her specialties include young child behavior management, Kindergarten readiness, school choices and preschool teacher training and support.  She teaches parenting classes, gives one session talks, leads teacher training workshops, observes children at home and at school and offers individual parents information and support about a wide array of parenting issues.

Angelica is a marriage and family therapist intern. She obtained her master’s degree in clinical psychology/marriage and family therapy from Notre Dame de Namur University. Angelica specializes in family therapy and working with young children (0 – 5). She has specialized training in early childhood mental health and works in therapeutic school and outpatient mental health clinic settings such as JFCS. Angelica is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Chen’s specialties as an expressive-arts therapist include working with children, adolescents, and adults on issues of personal growth, behavior, social skills, addiction, eating disorders, and couples and family therapy. Chen embraces the different art modalities and techniques in her work with clients by integrating images, music, sound, movement, and playfulness. She is fluent in Hebrew as well as English.

John’s treatment specialties are adult case management, mental health case management, and adults with disabilities.

Lisa Black is a Speech Language Pathologist who has been making a difference for the past ten years at an elementary school in Mountain View, California as a Language, Speech and Hearing Specialist.  Lisa's daughter, Abby, was diagnosed wiht a moderate to severe developmental language delay in June, 2005, at age two and a half years.  Lisa quickly realized that limited time with the Early Intervention Speech Language Pathologist was not going to be enough to help Abby catch up.  Since then, she has incorporated her expertise in language intervention with Abby's specific goals to increase Abby's language skills in a natural way. Lisa has a passion for sharing this information with other parents and professionals, knowing that it has made a big difference in Abby's remediation.

Diana earned her MSW from the University of Southern California in 1994, with a concentration in mental health. She has been an LCSW since 1996.  Diana has worked extensively as a therapist/social worker with children and families. One of her specialties is in working with families going through separation and/or divorce. She is a coordinator for Kids’ Turn, a psychoeducational program for both children and parents who are experiencing separation/divorce. She also is a facilitator for Kids in the Middle, a six-hour workshop for separating/divorcing parents. Diana is the proud parent of a 2-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son.

 Cathy Bloomfield, LMFT, was licensed in Minnesota as a psychologist in 1980, and became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1992 after moving to California.  She has taught numerous courses and workshops for married, engaged, and committed couples. In addition, she has developed and teaches a course dedicated to support and educate parents who are faced with the challenge of parenting while managing being diagnosed with and treated for cancer. Cathy has been an associate of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California since 2001, and teaches a consultation group for therapists who want to learn more about marriage counseling. Cathy works with both couples and individuals in her Private Practice in San Mateo.

Tracy Cubbison, BA, received her degree from Clemson University in Elementary Education.  She has taught in the elementary classroom as well as working as a behavioral therapist for children with autism.  She is the mother of a 2-year-old son.

Marleen Didech is a learning specialist, and has been a parent educator for 18 years.  She teaches classes and provides guidance for parents of school-age children and adolescents, including parents whose children demonstrate learning differences and/or attentional difficulties.  Marleen is a member of the National Faculty of Schools Attunded and was a co-editor and contributing writer for Bay Area Parents of Teens.  Marleen has extensive experience providing neurodevelopmental assessments for children and adolescents.  She also developed and led classes at The Children's Health Council, Parent's Place and at schools throughout the Bay Area. 

Sue Dinwiddie, MA, Human Development, trains staffs and teaches parent education throughout the Bay Area and in New York City.  In addition to publishing two books on helping children learn social problem-solving skills, she has taught classes in human development through Stanford University, Pacific Oaks College, and local community colleges and agencies.  Sue is a former head teacher at Bing Nursery School, Stanford University. Sue and her husband are the parents of two grown children.

Sheila has 20 years of teaching and consulting experience, with specialties in raising daughters and parenting teens and school-age children

Elizabeth is a therapist in private practice in Palo Alto.  She also facilitates support groups and workshops at Parents Place and in the community.  Her practice is focused on supporting individuals and couples in their adjustment to parenthood and in dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety.  She is a mother of twins.

Heidi has five years of teaching and consulting experience, with specialties in early childhood issues, including potty training, sleep, and discipline. She is fluent in Spanish in addition to English.

Nancy specializes in work with older adolescents and adults with anxiety, depression, or life- altering experiences, helping with couples issues, parenting problems, eating disorders, or career transitions. She sees individuals, couples, and families and has led groups and workshops for teens and adults for 34 years.

Torrey Freeman, MS, a Nationally Certified Counselor, is also a certified parent educator through the Department of Education at the University of Minnesota.  She co-teaches parent/child activity groups with Karen Friedland-Brown and Heidi Emberling.  Torrey also leads several Drop-in Play sessions per month.

Karen, a child development specialist and manager of Parents Place in Palo Alto, has been a parent educator for more than twenty years, after many years as a Resource Specialist in the Special Education field.  Karen specializes in guiding parents in areas such as social-emotional development, temperament, discipline and limit-setting, school issues and homework, peer relationships and bullying prevention, raising boys, and only children.  She also has expertise in helping couples parent together effectively and build healthy families, as well as parenting through separation and divorce.  She lectures, teaches workshops, and sees parents individually, does home and school observations, as well as provide staff trainings at schools and childcare centers.  She is a consultant to T'Enna Preschool where she provides staff and family support.  Karen is a contributor to the revised edition of Parentmaking: A Practical Handbook for Teaching Parents.  She and her husband are the parents of one son.

Julie is a licensed clinical psychologist whose practice focuses on supporting parents during times of transition in their family life cycle.  She enjoys supporting individuals and couples in making positive transitions to parenthood and has a particular interest in helping parents adjust to the many joys and challenges of pregnancy and the postpartum period.  Having completed a postdoctoral fellowship in college mental health, Julie also specializes in helping teens and their parents successfully navigate the pressures of high school and stay connected through the launching years.

Jomary is a California licensed psychologist. She holds a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed her postdoctoral training through the Department of Child Psychiatry at Stanford. She is a contributor to textbooks on parent education and an experienced presenter in the field of child development. In addition to having worked in parent education at the Children’s Health Council for 15 years, she has a private practice for children and adults in Palo Alto. She and her husband are the parents of three sons.

Gail’s treatment specializations are in early intervention, learning difficulties, domestic violence, and social services. She has worked with the ECMH program for seven years. She is a program supervisor and consults to family day care and child development centers. In addition to English, she is fluent in Spanish.

Chad specializes in PDD and related issues.

Lori Krolik is the founder of More Time for You, which provides professional organizing and time management consulting services.  Over the last decade, Lori has helped many clients simplify their lives by adopting the organizing strategies she teaches.  She has been a contributor to various websites including Online Organizing.com, Mommy Track’d, and Education.com.  In addition, Lori has given numerous time management workshops for non-profit groups, parenting organizations, and small businesses.  Lori lives in Palo Alto, California with her husband and two children.

Marlene has 15 years of experience specializing in issues of aging, divorce, marriage, and family for individuals, couples, and seniors.

Lori has been a parent educator for more than 18 years, specializing in child development, discipline,  and separation issues.  She is currently teaching the two’s class at Open Gate Parent Co-op Nursery School.  She especially enjoys guiding children in creative, messy activities, and exploring outdoors.  Lori is married with three grown children and one grandchild.  She enjoys travel, gardening, scrapbooking, and hiking.

Kennon has been a consultant to families and schools for 15 years and enjoys working with parent-child dyads and families and teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Gloria is a professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at San Jose State University. She has 20 years of teaching and consulting experience, with specialties in parenting of school-age children, adolescents and twins, bullying, bilingual/ bicultural issues, and learning styles.

Malaena was a school counselor for many years, and works with children, parents and families in her private practice. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety and stress and also consults to businesses and schools. She brings a wealth of experience, creativity, caring and humor to her work. Malaena enjoys support good parents to become great parents, and great parents to become wise parents.

Erica is a family therapist and organizational psychologist specializing in relationship issues and work-life integration. A believer in individual and family resilience, she approaches her client’s family and school challenges from a strength-based perspective. In addition to her work with families, she facilitates support groups in the areas of bereavement, chronic illness, and learning differences.  She has also worked with high-tech companies in the areas of conflict resolution, team building, and stress management, and teaches parenting courses at the workplace. Erica was part of a team awarded a Ford Foundation grant in 1996 to study gender equity in the workplace.

Kristine has 20 years of experience working with young children and their families, has been a mental health consultant in San Mateo and San Francisco for over 10 years, and specializes in therapeutic playgroups for children ages 3-5.

Diane has 10 years of experience in psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families and specializes in working with teens and reuniting families that have been disconnected due to crisis or communication difficulties. She has certifications in domestic violence and EMDR.