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- Ph.D., 2015, Clinical Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
- MA, 2002, Psychology, Sonoma State University
- BA, 2000, Humanistic and Existential Psychology, Sonoma State University
Developmental Neuroscience, Neurobiology of resilience, Self-care for early childhood professionals, Infant and early Childhood Mental and Emotional Health, Attachment, The importance of music in young children’s lives, The role of play in supporting the development of children’s emotion and self-regulation capacities
Developmental Psychology, Child Development, Social & Emotional Development, Developmental Neuroscience, Trauma Informed Care and Resiliency
Child and Family Psychologist, Trauma Informed Care and Resilience Specialist, Educator & Trainer, Early Childhood Educator, Early Childhood Program Director, Early Childhood Mentor Teacher and Coach, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant
Judy has been working in the field early learning for almost 3 decades. She started her career in early childhood education as Pre-K teacher in 1994, and then continued on to become a pre-school program director, early learning instructional coach, and clinical developmental psychologist. As a life-long learner, Judy has studied and taught multiple approaches to early learning, including Montessori, Play-Based learning, Reggio Emelia approach, and Constructivist-Emergent curriculum. She is currently faculty at Sonoma State University in the Early Childhood Education Department, where she teaches Child Development in Family, School, and Community as well as a professor in the MA program for Depth Psychology. Judy focused her doctoral research on the neurobiology of early development, and the direct correlation between affect and cognition. She currently consults with early learning agencies, schools, and districts on Trauma Informed Practices and Resiliency strategies. Judy combines her passion and knowledge of children’s mental and emotional development with her deeply-rooted experience in early education.
Brisden-Smith, Moreno, Peliquin, Radiloff & Wachtel. (2018). Growing opportunities: Collaboration nurtures and supports early learning educators. The Learning Professional, 38 (3).