Speakers include:

• Hector Chaidez Ruacho, LCSW

Hector Chaidez Ruacho is a Yale-trained Licensed Clinical Social Worker dedicated to creating a mental health system that provides quality services for all. As a Mexican Immigrant himself, Hector is especially interested in reducing barriers to care for Latino,
Immigrant, and Spanish-speaking families. His areas of interest include historical and collective forms of trauma and multicultural clinical care. Currently, Hector serves children, youth, and families at the Yale Child Study Center.

• Nancy Close, PhD

Nancy Close, PhD. is an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and the Clinical Director of  the Yale Parent and Family Development Program. She was the Director of Clinical Services for Minding the Baby, a home visiting program that has been designated as evidenced based by the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Close is a clinician and an educator. She specializes in infant mental health, parenting and the assessment and treatment of children under age five. She teaches Yale College students and fellows in psychiatry, psychology and social work in training at the Child Study Center. Dr. Close has twice received the Samual Ritvo Teacher of the Year award at the Child Study Center and has been honored by the Connecticut Infant Mental Health Association. The topics of her courses include: child development, child psychopathology, developmental assessment and clinical evaluation, mental health consultation and early childhood education. She conducts developmental assessments of young children, dynamically oriented psychotherapy with children and child parent psychotherapy She provides mental health consultation to early childhood education programs in the community. She is the author of the book, "Listening to Children: Talking With Children About Difficult Issues."

• Camilla Ledezma

Camilla Ledezma (she/they) is an undergraduate student at Yale pursuing a double major in Psychology and Environmental Studies, and a certificate in Education Studies. Along with personal experiences in Montessori, Quaker, and outdoor educational settings, Camilla has worked as a gymnastics coach and reading tutor, most recently through Dwight Hall at Yale's JZ-AMP Program. This summer, Camilla is conducting independent research in critical psychology, critical autism studies, and animal studies to inform her upcoming senior thesis projects. 

• Yasmeen Davis, MA

Yasmeen Davis (she/her) is an Educational Consultant and Equity and Cultural Proficiency Specialist supporting schools and districts implement restorative practices with fidelity and creating racial equity programs that prioritize connection and community. Before becoming a consultant, Yasmeen worked for Baltimore City Public Schools, Pittsburgh Public Schools and the School District of Philadelphia implementing reading programs, supporting academically low-performing schools, facilitating an effective transition to the common core state standards, and Implementing restorative practices with an equity lens.

• Hillary Hahn, MPH, MEd

Hilary Hahn, EdM, MPH, is the Executive Director of Elevate Policy Lab and the Mental Health Outreach for MotherS (MOMS) Partnership and a Research Scientist in the Yale Schools of Public Health and Medicine. Hilary spent the early part of her career in the Yale Child Study Center, Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery, helping to develop, evaluate and disseminate early and brief interventions/mental health treatments. Hilary has always been passionate about the health and well-being of women and families and transitioned to her current position in Spring 2020. Committed to mental health as a key to the health, well-being and resiliency of families, Hilary leads a portfolio of efforts that builds investment in sustainable mental health programming at multiple levels. Ms. Hahn holds advanced degrees in Educational Administration & Social Policy and Public Health.

• Daniel Knauss, PsyD 

Daniel Knauss, PsyD, is a staff psychologist at the Austen Riggs Center. Knauss also coordinates the Grand Rounds at Austen Riggs. Knauss has worked clinically in a variety of settings including private practice, community mental health, university counseling centers, medical centers, and residential treatment settings. Knauss is an active presenter at national and international conferences and has published in peer-reviewed journals. He currently serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association and is vice-chair of the Austen Riggs Center Institutional Review Board. Knauss has a passion for education, having taught undergraduate and graduate level psychology courses at private and public universities and has experience providing clinical supervision to psychology graduate students

Austen Riggs Center Inc. adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. All those at Austen Riggs Center involved in the planning of this activity, including the presenter(s) listed above, report they have no relevant financial relationships with an ineligible company*.

The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Austen Riggs Center.

* An ineligible company is any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.