Mary Claire Heffron Ph.D. is a former Clinical Director of the Early Intervention Services Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. She continues her work at that program as a consultant and mentor to the Irving B. Harris Early Childhood Mental Health Training Program, The Fussy Baby Program, and a special reflective supervision program with public health supervisors, managers, and administrators. Dr. Heffron also is a Fussy Baby Trainer and provides consultation and training to a variety of local, state and national groups.

Dr. Heffron is a Zero to Three Leadership Fellow and a recipient of the Infant Development Association of California’s distinguished service award in 2010.

Much of Dr. Heffron’s work has focused on workforce development in infant and early childhood mental health and infusion of infant mental health principles into multiple disciplines and services making up systems of care for infants, young children and families. 

You will have the opportunity to learn:

• Current information about the development of early regulatory abilities and elaborate connections to longer term social-emotional abilities.
• How to examine infant crying, sleeping and feeding difficulties and the impact on parent child relationships.
• Risks in the development of early regulatory abilities.
• To observe and discuss key intervention factors that support parents to strengthen their capacities to promote early development of regulatory abilities.