Jennifer Mundy
When did you begin working at CALM/ How long have you been at CALM?
I began working at CALM in March of 2012 on the Childhood Trauma Treatment team where I worked with children and parents who had experienced trauma. I have also been involved in several of our group therapy programs including our Domestic Violence support group for children, DBT Parenting group, and HEAL group. In 2014 I began working with our Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation team at Isla Vista Youth Projects where I supported teachers in working with challenging behavior. Through this program I have had the opportunity to provide trainings to Early Childhood teachers and administrators throughout Santa Barbara County, provide in class support to teachers and reflective practice. Last year I became the program manager of this amazing team and continue to love the work I do!
What is your role at CALM?
I am the program manager for CALM’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program. I oversee the Mental Health Consultants who provides services at Cottage Hospital Children’s Center, Girls Inc. after school program in Santa Barbara, Isla Vista Youth Projects Children’s Center, SBUSD Children’s Centers, Storyteller Preschools, St. Mark Preschool, and UCSB Children’s Centers. I have the opportunity to work with the administrators at each of these schools through a process we call administrative reflective practice. We work collaboratively to examine feelings or thoughts about the work they do and use this awareness to better serve the teachers they work with and the children they serve. Our team provides many trainings for teachers including Mandated Child Abuse Reporting, Conflict Resolution, Strategies for children with challenging behavior, Mindfulness in the Classroom, Teaching children self-regulation and many others.
Please share one of your best CALM experiences (a time you felt like you really made a difference).
Every time I walk into a classroom and see teachers using our strategies to effectively work with children I am thrilled. I love supporting teachers in building relationships with the children in their care and seeing them find renewed meaning in their work. Working as an Early Childhood Educator is an underappreciated job and one that deserves way more respect than it is given. Teachers are some of the greatest people in the world and it’s so awesome that I have the chance to work alongside them.
Finish the sentence, “If I could do one thing to make kids’ lives better, I would….”
If I could do one thing to make kids lives better I would make sure adult’s faces lit up with a smile every time a child walked in the room.
What is one thing you wish people knew about CALM?
CALM consultants are out in the community, working at schools, reaching out to families and supporting teachers in making sure every child has an opportunity to be a happy, healthy, self-confident child who is willing to take risks, create and discover.