Alison Steier, Ph.D., is director of the Harris Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Training Institute at Southwest Human Development in Phoenix.  She also directs their in-house mental health consultation service, the Birth to Five Helpline and the new Fussy Baby Program. Dr. Steier has provided infant mental health training to Child Protective Services and Arizona’s Juvenile Judges and Commissioners.  She served as a consultant on the Governor’s Subcommittee on Child Welfare Reform and is a frequent presenter on topics related to infant mental health.  She served as a member of the board of the Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition of Arizona and chaired the Coalition’s annual infant mental health conference from 2003-2006. Dr. Steier received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Tulane University and her masters’ and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from George Mason University. Prior to relocating to Phoenix from New Orleans,

she was a member of Dr. Charles Zeanah’s “Infant Team,” which evaluates and provides intensive intervention to maltreated infants and toddlers in foster care. She also served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry/Neurology at Tulane University Medical Center and as the senior psychology training clinician to advanced mental health professionals seeking to develop expertise in infant mental health.  She was the child/adult clinical fellow in psychology at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital from 1994-1996 and a visiting fellow in psychology on T. Berry Brazelton’s Child Development Unit at Boston’s Children’s Hospital from 1995-1996. Dr. Steier holds a fellowship in infant mental health from Louisiana State University Medical Center and a postdoctorate in infant mental health from Tulane University Medical Center.  She has published in the areas of mental health consultation and young children’s attachments to special inanimate objects (“transitional objects”).

Douglas Albrecht, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Clinical Director of the Good Fit Counseling Center at Southwest Human Development. In addition to managing the Good Fit Center, he provides treatment, assessment, consultation and supervision services for infants/toddlers and their families through the clinic. Dr. Albrecht completed his graduate training at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Pasadena, CA. He has experience working with children who have been physically and sexually abused, both in California and Arizona. He has provided training to professionals and graduate students on the treatment of children who have experienced multiple forms of trauma including physical and sexual abuse and domestic violence. He has additional expertise in infant/toddler mental health, parent-child relationships, play therapy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attachment and bonding.

Angela Capone, Ph.D., is a senior program manager in the Services for Children with Disabilities Department at Southwest Human Development.  Her areas of expertise include:  early language and literacy development, preschool curriculum, and supporting early development within the context of responsive care-giving environments.  Dr. Capone is currently the curriculum coordinator for Southwest Head Start at Southwest Human Development, and faculty for their Harris Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Training Institute. Prior to moving to Arizona Dr. Capone was an associate professor at the University of Vermont were she coordinated graduate level training for early childhood special educators and early interventionists.  Dr. Capone participated in the activities of the CUPS (Children Up Stream) project, which was designed to establish a statewide system of infant/toddler mental health services.  Her work with this group focused on developing competencies required of early childhood professionals relative to supporting healthy social emotional development.  Dr. Capone has also worked with pediatric health care professionals to enhance the capacity of pediatric health care settings to support parents of infants and toddlers.  Dr. Capone co-authored two books on working with young children and young children with disabilities.

Ana Arbel, MA, is a manager for the Early Intervention program in the Services for Children with Disabilities Department at Southwest Human Development.  Her experience includes training teachers, social workers and therapists in the complexities of family based services using a reflective practice approach.  She has provided trainings and presentations on parent-child relationships and the effects of disabilities in the family context.  Ana was a member of the board of directors of the Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition of Arizona, serving as co-chair of the Training Committee.  Ana has provided infant mental health consultation, helping staff reflect on their practice from a mental health perspective and providing training on the power of observation and reflection.  Before joining Southwest Human Development Ana coordinated a parenting program with the Salvation Army in Bushwick, New York where she lead parent support groups and play groups for parents and children birth to five and provided parent counseling.  Before moving to the United States Ana worked with children with disabilities and their families in Haifa, Israel and was a preschool teacher working with two and three year old groups in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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