Dr. Lara specializes in helping her young clients and their families establish a strong foundation for lifelong mental health and robust relationships, using an insightful, collaborative approach.

Are you worried about your child and don’t know where to turn for answers or support? When seeking help for your child, you need an expert who cares. I draw on my many years of experience providing clinical care and overseeing a team of clinicians as the coordinator of a highly respected outpatient program for young children and their families, specializing in birth to five assessment and therapy. I am certified in a number of evidence-based practices (Safe and Sound Protocol, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Managing and Adapting Practices, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). I am endorsed as a Reflective Practice Mentor through the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health and am a past fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program.

But more than credentials, you need to know your family is in caring hands. As a mother myself, I know how unnerving it can be to entrust your child to the professional opinion of an expert. In reality, YOU are the expert of your child and family, and I am particularly skilled at empowering parents to uncover their own intuition and transform the relationships within their family. Together, we will identify the root causes of your child’s challenges, whether through specialized neuropsychological assessment of children or therapy. And with your family’s culture and values guiding the way, I will steer you to the most effective plan to getting your family on the right track. My years of working in interdisciplinary teams have equipped me to identify all different types of contributing factors to your child’s challenges, and I have a wonderful network of professionals to whom I can refer.

I bring a calm and optimistic energy to my work, providing a deeply containing and supportive environment for you to transform challenges and connect with your highest self. The infancy and early childhood years provide a unique opportunity for families looking to rise above old patterns, and I gently support you in taking hold of this moment to set your child up for a lifetime of mental and relational wellness.

In addition to clinical work, I am an experienced mentor and public speaker, providing training and mentoring to parents and professionals alike. My personal and engaging approach captures the attention of participants, for an enjoyable and memorable learning experience. Areas of training expertise include reflective practice, parenting topics for young children, burnout prevention for professionals, and the treatment of generational trauma.