May Third Thursday
From Stress to Strength: Reshaping the Biological Stress System Through Early Childhood Mental Health Treatment
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May Third Thursday
What to Expect
You're invited to join us as Dr. Mackenzie Soniak presents on reshaping the biological stress system through IECMH treatment.
Early life experiences are critical in shaping lifelong mental and physical health.
The biological stress system is susceptible to emotional and environmental inputs, especially in infancy and early childhood.Â
Chronic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can dysregulate the developing stress response system, increasing the risk of anxiety, behavioral issues, and physical health problems.
Evidence-based mental health treatments for infants and young children—such as attachment-focused therapies and caregiver-child interventions—show measurable improvements in both behavior and biological markers of stress.
This presentation will briefly review the science behind the early-life stress system, discuss the effects of adversity on stress regulation, and explore an innovative research study about the biological impact of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).
Presenter Biography
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Mackenzie Soniak
PsyD, IECMH Clinical Director at SCIMHA
I’ve worked across the lifespan throughout my career, but I have a special passion for working with young children and their families. I earned my doctorate from Antioch University of New England, with a concentration in child clinical psychology.
I completed my pre-doctoral internship in Infant Mental Health at Tulane University School of Medicine and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine with the Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health.
During this time, I also specialized in working with mothers and fathers during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
I am endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Specialist by the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health and I am currently working at the SC Infant Mental Health Association as the IECMH Clinical Director.
I moved to South Carolina in 2020 to be with family. In my free time I enjoy spending time on the water, cooking with my family, and practicing yoga.
