Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities

08/07/2026

🎉 We have an exciting announcement! Project COMPASS (Connecting Military Parents through Advocacy, Support, and Shared Experience) is now accepting applications for its Peer Support Navigator Certificate Program!

Across 12 sessions, military parents of children with special needs can build the knowledge and skills to support other military-connected families caring for a child with mental, emotional, developmental, and/or behavioral needs as they navigate systems, programs, and potential barriers to care.

No one understands this journey like someone who has walked it.

📅 Applications close August 21, 2026.
⬇️ Apply today! Link in the comments!

08/06/2026

🎉 Exciting news! The application deadline for the Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (Clinical) has been extended to August 15th!

This program is designed for clinicians — social workers, psychologists, therapists, and pediatric providers — who are building or deepening their IECMH practice.

Over nine months, you'll take part in immersive, equity-centered clinical learning alongside luminaries in the IECMH field, with the opportunity to earn 20 CEU credits.

If you've been on the fence, now is your chance to apply!

⬇️ Link to application in the comments!

08/06/2026

New Publication Alert! 📢

We're proud to share that the Thrive Center's own Deborah Perry is a co-author on a new article in 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺: "Does virtual service delivery make home visiting more accessible yet still provide benefits to families?"

Home visiting is a proven support for families with young children, but intensive in-home models can face a number of challenges. This study explored a promising alternative: a home visiting program delivered virtually to families with newborns through 9 months of age.

Among 910 families surveyed in Los Angeles County, the results revealed that those who received virtual visits showed greater parenting confidence, stronger parent-child interactions, and babies with stronger social and emotional development.

Congratulations to Deborah and her co-authors: Heather E. Quick, Lori Downing, Mona Kilany, Iliana Brodziak de los Reyes, Christine Walsh, Jennifer Anthony, Shannon L.H. Keuter, Stephanie Davis, and Johannes Bos!

⬇️ Read the full article! Link in the comments!

07/31/2026

August 1. That's the deadline.

GUCEI graduates come out with a Georgetown credential, cross-disciplinary fluency, and a head start on the leadership track in Early Intervention.

If you've been considering it — this is the moment to move on it.

⬇️ Link to website and application in the comments!

*Enhanced/Generated with Canva AI for creative visualization

07/30/2026

“Hey, so I wanted to talk about something, but I don’t know if it’s a big enough deal.”

A student opened a chat with a Clayful coach that way. His dog had died. He almost said nothing.

Maria Barrera has watched young people hear the statistics about a youth mental health crisis and conclude that other people need the help more. So they wait, the thing gets bigger, and when they finally reach out, it is a crisis.

Clayful runs the sequence in reverse: on-demand coaching by text, through schools, for every student. The bar for a conversation is set as low as it will go. A fight with a friend counts. A new anime show counts.

“That moment of connection is actually healing, too.”

This week on Thriving Together, Maya Smith and Jason Lehmbeck talk with Maria, a Thrive Innovation Hub fellow.

🔗 Listen to or watch the full episode. Link in the comments!

07/30/2026

Last call! Applications for the Leadership Certificate in IECMHC close August 1, 2026!

This is the program for the leaders who build infant and early childhood mental health consultation systems -- the program directors, policymakers, agency leaders, evaluators, and experienced consultants who make the work possible.

💡$6,000 tuition
📅 9 months
💻 Virtual format

⬇️ Apply by August 1st! Link to website and application in the comments!

Looking for the Practical Certificate in IECMHC? Find the link in the comments!



*Enhanced/Generated with Canva AI for creative visualization.

07/30/2026

🎉Congratulations are in order for Thrive Center team member Dr. Amittia Parker!

Dr. Parker has been selected for the 2026-'27 cohort of DISCOVER early career investigators, earning a competitive pilot award for her project, “Co-Designing a Single-Session Intervention to Support Maternal Mental Health and Service Engagement in DC Early Childhood Settings.”

DISCOVER is a Center of Excellence in Investigator Development and Community Engagement at Georgetown University Medical Center, funded by the NIH/NIMHD that invests in community-engaged research to improve health outcomes across Washington, D.C.

We are so proud to see her work recognized. Way to go, Dr. Parker!👏

07/29/2026

Last call! Applications for the Certificate in IECMH, Clinical Track, close August 1, 2026!

If you have been considering the Certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Clinical Track, this is your last chance to apply for this cohort.

The program is designed for mental health professionals who serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and their families and want to deepen their clinical skills in this developmental period.

⬇️ Apply by August 1st! Link to application in the comments!



*Enhanced/Generated with Canva AI for creative visualization

07/29/2026

Big news! The Thrive Center is featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Georgetown Health Magazine.

The article covers our work in early childhood, disabilities, child and family mental health, and digital health, plus the Innovation Hub, which has reached more than 2 million kids and families across 20 states and four continents.

Thank you to GUMC for amplifying this important work!

🔗 Read the full article here: https://today.advancement.georgetown.edu/health-magazine/2026/building-the-conditions-to-thrive/

Photo: Phil Humnicky When Mallika Pajjuri cold-messaged Georgetown professor Matthew Biel, director of the Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities, on LinkedIn in late 2024, she had no idea […]

07/24/2026

Final year of OT, PT, SLP, or special education at a US university?

Federal funding is available to cover your participation in Georgetown's Certificate in Early Intervention — plus a stipend of ~$8,900.

Graduate with a Georgetown EI credential and cross-disciplinary training that sets you apart from day one at no cost to you.

⬇️ Apply by August 1st! Link to website and application in the comments!

*Enhanced/Generated with Canva AI for creative visualization