Years at Tulane:
Since 1998
Dr. Heller's broad focus is the area of Infant Mental Health, with reflective supervision and processing being one of her major areas of focus. She spends much of her time supporting early childhood providers (e.g., home visitors, IMH clinicians, teachers, parent educators) who work with young children and their families through reflective supervision. She has co-edited a book on reflective supervision, and is currently working with a national group of reflective supervision experts to develop an in-depth training curriculum for providing reflective supervision.
Another key area of focus is Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECHMC). Dr. Heller is currently involved with Tulane’s TIKES program, which provides IECHMC to childcare programs statewide. She provides reflective supervision to many of the consultants and lead their research and evaluation team. In addition, Dr. Heller is an expert faculty member for Georgetown University’s National Center of Excellence for IECMHC. This allows her to support the center in developing products for IECMHC, and providing support to programs across the country as they develop their programs.
Dr. Heller's final major area of interest involves her role as director of the Tulane Early Childhood Relationships Support and Services (TBEARS). This is a home visiting program, affiliated with the Fussy Baby Network, which supports caregivers who are struggling with their infant or toddler. Dr. Heller's commitment to supporting early childhood providers extends to her enjoyment of creating and providing professional trainings. She presents regionally, nationally, and internationally on topics such as: the DC:0-5 Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders in Infancy and Early Childhood, early childhood mental health, mental health consultation, the Fussy Baby Network model and reflective practice.
Heller, S.S. & Gilkerson, L. (Eds.) (2009) A Practical Guide to Reflective Supervision. Washington, D.C: ZERO TO THREE Press.
Heller, S.S., Keyes, A., Boothe, A., Nagle, G., Sidell, M. & Rice, J. (2011). Evaluating the Impact of Mental Health Consultation on Early Childhood Teachers’ Efficacy and Competence. Infant Mental Health Journal, 32(2), 143-164. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/imhj.20289/abstract
Heller, S.S., Rice, J., Boothe, A., Keyes, A., Nagle, G., & Sidell, M. (2012). Mental Health Consultation and Teacher Student Interaction. Early Education and Development, 23(6), 919-944.
Heller, S.S. & Ash, J. (2016). The Provider Reflective Process Assessment Scale (PRPAS): Taking a Deep Look into Growing Reflective Capacity in Early Childhood Providers. ZERO TO THREE Journal, 37:2, 22-29.
Kallemeyn, L., Evenson, A., Heller, S.S., Gilkerson, L., Moran, T., & Taylor, C. (2017). Local Adaptation during Implementation: A Case Study of the Fussy Baby Network® New Orleans and Gulf Coast Initiative. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Vozar, T.M., Breuer, A., Lofton A., and Heller, S.S. (2018). Building the Foundation in Early Infancy, 2-6 Months. In Building Early Social and Emotional Relationships with Infants and Toddlers. Morris, A.S. and Williamson, A.C. (Eds). New York: Springer International Publishing
Heller, S.S., Wasserman, K., Kelley, A., and Clark, R. (2019). Observational Assessment of the Dyad. In Clinical guide to psychiatric assessment of infants and young children, Frankel, K.A., Harrison, J.N. and Njoroge, W.F.M. (Eds). New York: Springer International Publishing.
