Jessica Richards is an experienced NRF trainer who has provided over 100 NRF trainings and presentations including Zero to Three, WAIMH, and is the primary trainer for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Jessica was the lead therapist in the NRF court team pilot project at Edelman’s Children’s Court in Los Angeles. She has contributed to many NRF curricula and uses the NRF as licensed psychotherapist to provide neurodevelopmentally informed and individualized care for children and families. She is endorsed in California as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Reflective Practice Facilitator II. Jessica has been trained in Child-Parent psychotherapy, a relationship and play-based therapy with a strong evidence-based foundation for the treatment of trauma and family stressors. She has developed a unique treatment for children
with Selective Mutism by adapting the dominant evidenced-based practice using the NRF principles. This customized approach tailored to each child’s unique stressor triggers and resiliency has an extraordinarily high success rate. Her specialized Dual-Masters education provides an advanced foundation in applied child development and clinical social work. Jessica is passionate about working with families and children. She loves training across diverse sectors and is grateful her professional journey led her to Dr Connie Lillas and the NRF in 2009.