Featured Speakers

Jesse Bernal, LMFT Jesse Bernal is an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, a certification of specialization in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, and a certification of specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis. Jesse spent over 15 years working with the birth to five population, specifically focusing on infant and early childhood mental health, neural and social/emotional development, inclusion of children with diverse learning needs, staff and caregiver wellness, and mitigating the long-term effects of early childhood trauma. In addition, Jess is an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA for both the School of Cultural and Family Psychology and the School of Education, and has served as a research associate to authors in the field such as Dr. Daniel Seigel and Dr. Barbara Stroud. He provides consultation and training to multiple Head Start and Early Head Start, mental health, and social service programs across the country and is a nationwide speaker and presenter. Jess strives to increase the general understanding of social/emotional development and behavior through a trauma-informed lens, while always staying true to the core values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and social justice.