Kristen Eberly on the impact of early childhood trauma

SDSU graduate student Kristen Eberly shares why she decided the curriculum in the EC-SEBRIS certificate program was important to her career. 

I am completing my Master of Social Work in the one-year Advanced Standing Program at San Diego State University. During orientation I was presented with the opportunity to pursue the EC-SEBRIS certificate. I was hesitant to enroll in this program, in addition to the MSW program, due to the additional classes and requirements. 

However, in numerous social work classes and interactions with clients I began to see a common theme. Early childhood trauma and/or a difficult parent-child relationship continues to make a tremendous impact in adults’ lives. 

While society is making strides in raising mental health awareness and reducing stigmatization, more focus is required on early childhood mental health and intervention efforts.  As a result, I decided I wanted to work in an early intervention setting and applied for the EC-SEBRIS program. 

The EC-SEBRIS program is instrumental in linking clinical social work with early childhood intervention efforts. The program’s focus on attachment theory, neurobiology, emotional regulation, ecobehavioral assessment and intervention, applied behavior analysis, and positive behavioral support provides the knowledge and skills that will be essential and valued in the social work field. The classes and books are engaging, interesting, and relevant. In addition, the information learned during class can be applied immediately to my internship setting.

I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in social work and would like to work with children to look into this program. Linking both the MSW program and the EC-SEBRIS program provides an excellent opportunity to specialize in early childhood mental health.

EC-SEBRIS 2014 Orientation

The EC-SEBRIS certificate program is an interdisciplinary program for early childhood professionals who want to improve skills for working with young children who demonstrate socio-emotional and behavioral concerns, and their parents. EC-SEBRIS 2014 Orientation The EC-SEBRIS Certificate is a program of the San Diego State Department of Child and Family Development. 

The Dept. of Child and Family Development also offers a Master of Science in Child Development. The Master of Science degree is one of only four child development programs available in the CSU system. The EC-SEBRIS program is accepting applications for Fall 2015 admission until March 2, 2015.

For more information on the EC-SEBRIS graduate certificate program, visit our website.