Dr. Graciela Nearing, M.Ed., Psy.D.

Early in my career as an elementary school teacher I became fascinated with how children learn.  As I worked with younger and younger children as a founder and director of early childhood programs, my fascination grew to learning more about the developing mind of the infant. 

My interest in the infants' brain lead to learning more about the mother-infant dyad attachment process while I was studying to become a clinical psychologist.  I have followed with participation in research investigating the impact of depression on pregnant women and their babies, with poplulations of depressed and non-depressed mothers at the University of Miami - Jackson Memorial Hospital (see Research & Publications).  

For the past eight years, I have been working at Miami Children's Hospital as a consultant providing psychological and social support to parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I established psycho-social parental programs for low birth weight infants at Miami Children's Hospital. This program has yielded significant positive outcomes for the families involved, including a shorter hosptial stay. The study may be found in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 2012; 25(1): 89-93.

This type of psycho-social interventions is an emerging field in preventive medicine.  Through my experience as a psychologist and researcher, I have identified the factors that promote health and prevent developmental derailment more likely to occur as a result of attachment problems, and have promoted interventions that help develop and optimize parenting skills.

Education:

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. Carlos Albizu University, Miami, FL.

M.Ed. in Supervision and Administration in Schools. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

B.A. in Elementary Education. St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN.

Specialized Training:

EFT - Emotionally Focused Therapy

EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Post-Partum Depression

NBAS - Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale

CLC - Certified Lactation Consultant

AEDP - Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy