Lisa deFaria, Msw, Lcsw, Bcd (Lcs #19285)

Lisa deFaria is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Child Development Specialist and Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work.  She offers a child and family centered approach for supporting the growth, development and learning of young children with special needs, as well as those with emerging emotional, behavioral and learning  challenges.  She also enjoys working with couples, families and individual adults in more traditional pyschotherapeutic fashion.   Ms. deFaria has a private practice in Monterey, CA.

Ms. deFaria  has trained and worked extensively with Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder’s DIR® (“Developmental, Individualized, Relationship-Based”) and “Floortime” models for the last 15 years. She is on the faculty of the Maryland-based Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), and is an adjunct faculty member of the University of California Santa Cruz, Extension.  A CEITAN grant recipient and former member of the Monterey County Family and Children’s Commission’s First Five Subcommittee on Children with Special Needs, Ms. deFaria has long been an advocate for children with challenges and their families.  

In addition to her private therapy practice, Ms. deFaria offers developmental programming consultation and in-service training to a variety of agencies, state and private preschools, regional center early start or infant intervention programs, school districts and inclusion programs, with a focus on pro-active and positive intervention.  She piloted the Pacific Grove USD’s DIR-based “Floortime Friendship Group,” for elementary age children with neurodevelopmental challenges. In-Service training topics typically include introductory trainings in the DIR/Floortime model, as well as on early identification, intervention, child development, parent and teacher education, learning differences, inclusion, teamwork, classroom management, play and social skills.  

She has provided trainings at Children's Health Council, Palo Alto, the University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Early Start, No. Monterey County State Preschools, Monterey County Office of Education and Infant Development, Monterey County Family Service Agency, San Jose’s PACE Preschool, and the Pajaro, Carmel and Pacific Grove Unified School Districts. Ms. deFaria is also a consultant to Floortime/DIR based private schools including the Creekside School in San Jose, Ca and the Soaring Eagle Academy, Riverside, Illinois. 
 
Recent speaking engagements have included the ICDL DIR Institute (2009, 2008), Children's Health Council, Palo Alto (2008), the California Infant Development association (IDA, 2006) and the International Rett Syndrome association (IRSA 2006).  She is an associate professor with the ICDL Graduate PhD studies program in child development, with professor Rebecca Shahmoon-Shanok, PhD.

Ms. DeFaria graduated with honors from the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work. She was also the recipient of a two-year Post Graduate Fellowship in Clinical Social Work at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center’s Thalians Mental Health Center working in both Family and Children's, as well as the Infant and Early Child Development Centers.  Ms. deFaria is an accredited member of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders, the California Infant Development Association, the International Association for Play Therapy, the National Association for Social Work and the California Society for Clinical Social Work.

Please contact Lisa deFaria, LCSW at 831-333-9251

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New associate information coming soon!

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