Bonding with Your Baby (and Beyond) | Dr. Victoria Simms

#153: Child development specialist and philanthropist Dr. Victoria Simms is here to help us bond with our children. We discuss the rituals and routines backed by science that can help our little ones feel safe, loved, and resilient.

Dr. Simms is the president and founder of the nonprofit Simms/Mann Institute, trailblazing in the whole child approach to caring for our children and developmental neurogenetics.

We all know separation anxiety can be frustrating, heart-wrenching, and guilt-inducing. Our guest has created a darling multi-faceted tool for families called “CuddleBright” to make transitions smoother and separation less overwhelming.

And for those of you who had an “insecure attachment” with your own parent, Dr. Simms gives us hope. There is always the opportunity to break the generational patterns of drama and grow, heal, and thrive in our relationship with our kids.

xx Ellie Knaus

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:

"Dr. Victoria Simms is a nationally recognized child development specialist and philanthropist. As the President of The Simms/Mann Family Foundation and Simms/Mann Institute, she is the architect of all the initiatives and programs the Foundation and Institute is currently funding and implementing. In 2011, Dr. Simms founded the Simms/Mann Institute for Education and Community Development. With a mission to develop, implement and support groundbreaking initiatives that offer authentic solutions to the complex issues facing individuals, families, and communities in the 21st Century, the Simms/Mann Institute is in the forefront of philanthropy in Education, Health, Wellness, Art and Culture.

Dr. Victoria Simms has developed several integrative medicine programs that are used in the United States and abroad, including the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, as well as the first integrative medicine treatment program in the world to be offered at a free clinic—the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center at the Venice Family Clinic. The Foundation has also endowed a 275-seat theater in honor of Ted Mann at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is set to open in 2018.

Dr. Simms practiced clinical psychology for more than 25 years in a variety of settings, including schools, parenting centers, clinics, and office-based private practice. In addition, she founded and served as the Director of the Mann Center for Education and Family Development, which specialized in psychological and educational assessment and treatment of children and adults. She has an M.A. in early childhood development from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, Calif., and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Center for Child Development and Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, Calif. She received her training in infant psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Dr. Simms currently serves on the Board of Visitors for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Additionally, she is a board member of the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Geffen Playhouse, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

As an early child-development specialist, parent, and grandparent of young children, she is passionate about identifying solutions that are sustainable in child development, with a focus on ages 0-3." - Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology