Our Approach
“We’ve assembled some of the best and most capable professionals in Southern California, from a wide assortment of fields, and we’re all here to help. Working from a whole-child, Whole-Brain perspective that relies on the latest research and emphasizes the importance of relationships and development, our various approaches can help you and your family not only survive what you’re going through, but learn to thrive in ways you probably haven’t even imagined.”
interdisciplinary collaboration
The Center for Connection's integrative, collaborative team of professionals represents a unique model in direct response to the needs expressed by individuals and families. Our interdisciplinary approach alleviates the tensions of running around to far too many different locations, professionals, and specialists in an effort to receive whole-person care. By bringing you a team of experts, who all share a foundational commitment to regulation, we greatly improve the overall quality of care you receive while significantly reducing stress and anxiety on you and family.
Current clinical models make communication among professionals difficult or nearly impossible, despite the obvious advantages of having specialists from different disciplines working together. That's why the CFC's connection-based model is based on providing more comprehensive services, with independent professionals from diverse fields all working collaboratively to better understand and support our clients. Our practitioners meet weekly to learn together and work in an integrated manner, which allows us to assimilate various approaches and better assess, understand, and address the challenges facing the whole person and the whole family.
brain, mind, relationships
The scientific lens through which we view the world and our work is interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), a term coined by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., whose work very much influences what we do. IPNB studies how a person’s brain, mind, and relationships interact to shape who that person is. As opposed to merely helping individuals and families learn to “manage” their problems, we are devoted to a more holistic, comprehensive approach. We endeavor to chase the why behind a client’s strengths, vulnerabilities and challenges, educate them about their unique nervous systems, and use that knowledge to help clients affect the way they view, feel about, and interact with their world.
The various professionals at the CFC approach each person’s challenges and struggles with curiosity, while setting aside unhelpful assumptions or inaccurate diagnoses that can get in the way of seeing what their behavior is truly communicating. Many behaviors are a child’s or adult’s best attempts at adapting; they are showing us that they need better strategies and decreased demands to navigate their world. Behavior and reactivity are communication, showing us the areas in which kids and adults may need skill-building, connection, and regulation support. Looking through the behavior and viewing the nervous system from many different perspectives is essential to creating a plan of action to change a person’s brain and alter how they function in the world—allowing them to be fully themselves.
Gender Affirming Care
Our team is committed to offering gender affirming care. Our Clinical Director, Dr. William Lacey (he/him), has training in, and developed specific assessments for, gender affirming neuropsychological evaluations. He works with kids, teens, adults who are in all phases of gender development, and are gender diverse, gender nonconforming, gender queer, etc.
Dr. Lacey further offers parent support for helping understand the gender diverse community, adjust to their kids transitions, medical information about things like hormones, puberty blockers, surgery, etc., helping parents process the change in their lives, and an advocacy role as well to help navigate systems set up against these kids. For schools, he offers trainings for teachers and parents on the basics and more complex information around gender. He also is hired to evaluate and review programs and policies for gender affirming support at school and district levels.
A commitment to our community
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are important, interdependent components of everyday life at the Center for Connection (CFC). Our goal is to promote connection among individuals and groups, and also to celebrate differences. We are committed to fostering a culture where everyone who visits the CFC—clients, clinicians, office staff, everyone—feels safe, valued, supported, and inspired to achieve individual and shared goals. This includes providing opportunity and access for all people across differences of race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, migratory status, disability/ability, political affiliation, veteran status and socioeconomic background. The more inclusive we are, the better we can serve our community, encouraging both meaningful linkage and healthy differentiation.
