Kelley Yost Abrams PhD
parenting and early childhood expert
My Philosophy
No one knows your child better than you do. You are the expert. As parents, though, we all can use extra support. A child's earliest experiences with their parents and other caregivers are critical for overall healthy development. My mission is to educate, help, support, and guide parents in their relationships with their children so that both parents and children can thrive.
All parents struggle from time to time, and often the advice we get is confusing and overwhelming. Many loving, caring parents can still use assistance learning how to communicate, connect with, and support their children. We often need help understanding our children's behavior and developing new strategies to address common parenting concerns. As a leader in the infant-family field with over 20 years of experience in early childhood, my services can support you and your family.
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about me
BACKGROUND
I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years and am a mother of 2. I received my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UC Berkeley where I focused on infant-parent attachment. My research included empathy in preschoolers as well as parenting behaviors associated with trauma. As an internationally known expert in attachment, I have conducted numerous trainings and seminars as well as published extensively. I have trained and consulted with attachment researchers in South Korea; the Netherlands; Canada; England; Austin, TX; Minnesota; Boston, MA; San Diego CA; Denver, CO, and Berkeley, CA.
I am a member of the Academy of Zero to Three Fellows and specialize in infant mental health.
I have been an adjunct professor at San Jose State University in the Child and Adolescent Development Department, and a Child Development Specialist at First 5 and Parents Place as well as a leader in Digital Behavioral Health.
I serve as an expert Medical Advisor & Parenting Expert to prominent organizations including BabyCenter, What to Expect, and Maven Clinic.
" A young child's experience of an encouraging, supportive and co-operative parent gives him a sense of worth, a belief in the helpfulness of others, and a favorable model on which to build future relationships."
- John Bowlby
Selected Presentations and Publications
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Abrams, K.Y. (2017). Life from a Toddler's Point of View. Parents Place, San Mateo, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2017). Healthy Brain Development. Parents Place, San Mateo, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2017) Identifying Red Flags in Development. Training for staff at OFJCC Preschool on behalf of Parents Place on the Penninsula.
Abrams, K.Y. (2017) Raising Emotionally Healthy Children. Workshop for Pinterest, San Francisco, CA on behalf of Start with Lucy
Abrams, K.Y. (2017). Appropriate Developmental Practice. Training for summer camp counselors for City of Pleasanton’s Alviso Adobe Community Park.
Abrams, K. Y. (2017) School Readiness. Our Family Coalition, San Francisco, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2016). Raising Resilient Babies. DayOne Baby, Palo Alto, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2016). Positive Discipline. Addepar. Mountain View, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2015). Toilet Teaching from Wet to Dry. DayOne Baby, Palo Alto, CA.
Abrams, K.Y. (2015). Preparing your Toddler for a Sibling. DayOne Baby, Palo Alto, CA.
Abrams, K.Y. (2015). Healthy Relationships for Teens. Workshop for National Charity League of Los Altos, CA.
Abrams, K. Y. (2014) Understanding Our Children: Temperament, Gender, Birth Order, and Attachment. Parent Workshop for Children’s Center Preschool, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2014) Connection and Relationships. With Maria Porch, LCSW, Los Altos United Methodist Church Mums Group.
Abrams, K. Y. (2014) The Benefits of Taking Risks: How the Reggio Program at Ventana School Supports Child Development. Parent Workshop for Ventana School, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2014) Separation Worries When Starting Preschool. Parent Workshop for Children's House, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2014). Promoting Self-Esteem in Children. Divergent Learners Group, Bullis Charter School, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2014). It's All About Relationships. Parent Education Coffee Talk for Children's Center, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2014). Relationships and School Readiness. Parent Education Lecture for Children's House, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2013). Peer Relationships and Social Development. Parent Education Lecture for Twinkle Twinkle Preschool, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2013). Limit Setting and Discipline for Young Children. Parent Education Lecture for Twinkle Twinkle Preschool, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2013). Challenging Behaviors in 3-5 year olds. Teacher Training for Children's House Preschool, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K.Y. (2013). Separation Anxiety and Starting Preschool. Parent Education Lecture for Children's House Preschool, Los Altos, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2005). Disorganized Infant Attachment Relationships. Invited presentation to Public Health Nurses, Oakland CA,
Abrams, K. Y. (2004). A Tale of Two Projects. Poster presented at Zero to Three National Training Institute in Sacramento, CA,
Abrams, K.Y., & Rifkin, A. (2003). Dissociative Parental Behavior Observed in a Laboratory Play Session Predicts Infant Disorganization. Presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meetings in Tampa, FL.
Abrams, K. Y., & Olkin, R. (2003). Perceptions of Eleven-to-Seventeen-Year-Olds with a Disabled Parent. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meetings in Tampa, FL.
Abrams, K. Y. (2002). Disability Accessible Research: An Example of a National Survey of Parents With Disabilities and Their Teens. Symposium at the Society for Disability Studies Annual Meeting, Oakland, CA
Abrams, K. Y. (2002). Preliminary Findings from a National Survey of Parents with Disabilities and Their Teens. Through the Looking Glass’ Second International Conference on Parents with Disabilities, Oakland, CA.
Abrams, K. Y. (2002). Implications of Postpartum Depression for the Infant-Mother Attachment Relationship and Infant Development. Through the Looking Glass’ Second International Conference on Parents with Disabilities, Oakland, CA.
Abrams, K. Y., Jans, L., & Kirshbaum, M. (2002). Division of Family Labor and Maternal Disability. Through the Looking Glass’ Second International Conference on Parents with Disabilities, Oakland, CA.
Abrams, K. Y., & Olkin, R. (2002). Family Responsibilities of Adolescents with a Disabled Parent. Poster Presented by Kelley Abrams at the Society for Research on Adolescence, New Orleans.
Abrams, K. Y. (2002). Attachment Theory and the Disorganized Infant Attachment Category. In-service presentation to City of Berkeley Public Health Nurses, Health & Human Services Department, Berkeley, CA.
Abrams, K. Y. (2001). Attachment Theory, Disorganized Infant Attachment, and Parental Frightened, Frightening, and Dissociate Behavior. Invited lecture at California School of Professional Psychology/ Alliant University, Alameda, CA.
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Abrams, K., Rifkin, A., & Hesse, E. (2006). Examining the role of parental frightened/frightening subtypes in predicting disorganized attachment within a brief observation procedure. Development and Psychopathology, 18, 345-361.
Olkin, R., Abrams, K., Preston, P., & Kirshbaum, M. (2006). Comparison of parents with and without disabilities raising teens: Information from the NHIS and two national surveys. Rehabilitation Psychology, Vol 51 (1), 43-49.
Heineman, T., Abrams, K., Dicker, S., Stone, J. (2005). Spokes in the Wheel: The Multiple Relationships of Children in Foster Care. Zero to Three v25 n6 p27-33
Abrams, K., Yune, S., Kim, S., Jeon, H., Han, S., Hwang, J., et al. (2004). Trait and state aspects of harm avoidance and its implication for treatment in major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and depressive personality disorder. Psychiatry Clinical Neurosciences, 58(3), 240-248.
Ha, K. S., Kim, S. J., Yune, S. K., Kim, J. H., Hwang, J. W., Lee, N. Y., et al. (2004). Three-year follow up of women with and without borderline personality disorder: Development of Cloninger's character in adolescence. Psychiatry Clinical Neurosciences, 58(1), 42-47.
Hesse, E., Main, M., Abrams, K. Y., & Rifkin, A. (2003). Unresolved states regarding loss or abuse have “second generation” effects: Disorganized, role-inversion, and frightening ideation in the offspring of traumatized non-maltreating parents. In M. Solomon & D. Siegel (Eds.), Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body, & Brain. New York: W.W. Norton.