Caring for children right from the start
Director: Tara Matus, M. A.
I have earned a Master's Degree in General Psychology as well as a Master¹s in Clinical Psychology; in June of 2009 I will have completed the requirements for my PhD in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on multicultural community psychology. My focus has been working with children and my passion is early childhood from 0 to 5. To that end I have worked with L.A. Unified School district with kindergarten students in Crescent Heights, a community in East Los Angeles; with the Children¹s Collective, a non-profit organization that serves South Los Angeles; the Alhambra Unified School district providing mental health services to elementary school students; and with Las Encinas Hospital in the adolescent in-patient program.
I have been both in the classroom and working one on one with children from birth to 18 years of age. From hospitalized teenagers to gifted preschool children (and gifted adolescents to at-risk toddlers), I have had the opportunity to assist them in their growth and development.
In terms of program development, implementation and assessment, I have worked with the following agencies: First5 L.A., Head Start, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Beyond Shelter, Children¹s Collective, and North Hollywood¹s Highly Gifted Magnet Program.
I have helped build programs providing counseling and support for women and children who were living on the street, a therapy program for preschool students, and developed a volunteer program for gifted students. I have worked to educate childcare providers in the latest research on childcare as well as assessed the efficacy of various preschool interventions. My dissertation research looked at ways to measure psychotherapy with Latino preschool students.
I enjoy Los Angeles and Pasadena for the amazing diversity of cultures we live among. I have specialized in incorporating multi cultural perspectives into my work. The children I have worked with have, not only a broad range of abilities, but also a broad range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is a joy for me to bring various cultures and traditions into the classroom. Diversity in thinking comes not only from diverse educational approaches, but diverse communities as well.