About Us

Since 2003, the Reflective Parenting Program has been involved in translating and applying cutting edge research in child development and affective neuroscience toward the goal of helping families to improve parent-child attachment relationships. Our program continues to grow as we partner with an increasing number of organizations and child development specialists and serve a wide range of parent populations. To date, we have adapted our model and curriculum to work with parents from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. These have included expectant mothers, parents of children ages 0 through 17, Spanish speaking parents, at-risk families, and teen mothers. We are currently piloting workshops that work with recently homeless parents, grandparents and adoptive parents. Although the curriculum and issues are different for each group, the underlying approach is consistent, as we believe that reflective parenting provides a model that can help any caregiver to build, strengthen, or repair one of the most formative relationships in a child's life.

As of 2009, the Reflective Parenting Program became a part of the Center for Reflective Parenting (CRP). CRP is a non-profit organization based in Southern CA, which provides advanced professional training and direct services to parents, infants and children. It is comprised of mental health professionals committed to excellence in the provision of family mental health, and is dedicated to training and supervising clinicians, as well as conducting research in the field of parent-child relationships.
Founders

John F. Grienenberger, Ph.D., is Director and Founding member of the Reflective Parenting Program in Los Angeles. He is a Senior Trainer for the RPP and he has authored numerous papers, presentations, and training programs in the areas of attachment research, parental reflective functioning, parenting, and child psychotherapy research. Along with Arietta Slade, he helped develop the first measure of parental reflective functioning (PRF) and he is a certified to train researchers to code PRF on the Parent Developmental Interview (PDI). Dr. Grienenberger has a private practice in West Los Angeles where he works with infants, children, and adults.

Natalie Levine, L.C.S.W., is a Founding member of the Reflective Parenting Program and currently serves on the Advisory Board. Her background and training is in early childhood mental health and she is the current Clinical Director at Family Service of Santa Monica (FSSM), a community agency that provides mental health services for children, families and adults. Since 1984, Natalie has actively been involved in providing parenting programs ranging from "Mommy and Me" groups in the community to parent groups on preschool and elementary school sites.

Paulene Popek, Ph.D., is a Founding Member of the RPP and current Co-Executive Director of Center for Reflective Parenting. She is a certified psychoanalyst from New Center for Psychoanalysis and the current Co-President of NCP. As former Clinical Director of Wright Institute Los Angeles, she has been actively involved in building community programs, as well as training and supervising psychology students. She is a Founding Member and current Director of the LA Eating Disorders Study Center and member of THRIVE Infant Family Program.

Staff

Bronwyn Chambers, B.F.A., M.A., is a Group Leader and Research Coordinator for the Reflective Parenting Program. With a wide interest in the field of infant and child development and a background in fine art and art therapy, Bronwyn moved to LA from Vancouver, B.C. to complete her M.A. in Clinical Psychology and pursue her studies in infant communication and early relationships. In addition to her leading RPP groups, Bronwyn has a clinical practice working with infants, children and families in West Los Angeles.

Wendy Denham, Ph.D., is a Senior Trainer, supervisor and researcher for the Reflective Parenting Program. The former coordinator of the Infant Mental Health Program at The Maple Counseling Center, Beverly Hills, CA, she is also currently the Co-Director of The Center for Mindful Parenting, in Los Angeles. Dr. Denham has worked on a number of research projects, including a study at Columbia University, as a coder for Reflective Functioning (RF), and maintains a private practice with families and children in Los Angeles, CA. She has spoken widely on reflective functioning and attachment theory, and has been published for her work on Mindful Parenting Groups.

Melissa Jacobs, M.A., is the Prenatal Education Coordinator for the Reflective Parenting Program. Melissa is a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology at the City University of New York's Graduate Center. Building on the work of Dr. Walter Mischel at Columbia University, she is currently working on her dissertation, which examines the relationship between parental reflective functioning and children's capacity to delay gratification. In addition to developing RPP's prenatal workshop series, Melissa is collaborating with the RPP on a workshop series for parents of infants and toddlers.

Anne-Marie Wilson, M.S., L.C.S.W., is an RPP Group Leader and Senior Trainer and is currently the coordinator and supervisor of the RPP at Family Service of Santa Monica. She has been involved with the Reflective Parenting Program since its conception. She has led multiple groups in preschool, elementary school, and agency settings. She holds Masters Degrees in both Early Childhood Special Education and Clinical Social Work and she is a psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with infants, children, and adults.

Advisory Board

Deborah Alexander, L.C.S.W.
Morris Eagle, Ph.D.
Natalie Levine, L.C.S.W.
Regina Pally, M.D.
Paulene Popek, Ph.D.
Arietta Slade, Ph.D.
Nancy Tallerino, L.C.S.W