Dr. Jessica Zucker is a psychotherapist in Los Angeles specializing in women's health with a focus on fertility, prenatal and postpartum adjustments, and transitions in motherhood. Jessica works with adults, couples, mothers and daughters, infants and mothers, and developing families. She comes to the field of clinical psychology with a background in international women's reproductive health, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and psychoanalytically-oriented clinical training. Her psychotherapy practice integrates a mind-body health approach with principles of depth psychology. Having worked and lived in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, West Africa, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, Dr. Zucker brings a global perspective to her work.
Dr. Zucker is a key contributor in the PBS project Early Moments Matter which explores the centrality of early parent-child attachment. Early Moments Matter will be distributed to hospitals, birth centers, and pediatrician's offices nationwide as an educational tool for developing families. The Attachment Toolkit will feature a series of educational materials with the aim of increasing awareness and skills for parents. In conjunction, Dr. Zucker is a featured blogger on PBS for This Emotional Life, a groundbreaking multi-platform project designed to address the need for the newest, most useful information on emotional well-being that will help people foster stronger social relationships. Dr. Zucker's blog addresses issues pertaining to transitions in parenting, early childhood attachment, perinatal and postpartum mood disorders. Jessica participated in a roundtable media briefing and screening of This Emotional Life at the Paley Center for Media in New York City in October 2009 for New York area writers and reporters. Panelists explored the importance of establishing healthy social connections in infancy and the latest science in understanding the bond between parents and children. Hosted by Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist and author, the television documentary series premiered January 4-6, 2010 on PBS. The series addresses issues organized around improving social relationships, understanding complex emotional struggles, and searching for greater happiness. Project partners include: Paul Allen's Vulcan Productions, Method, WGBH Boston Nova Science, Cause and Affect, Kunhardt McGee Productions, Vox Global Mandate, and Fleishman-Hillard.
Dr. Jessica Zucker and Mindful Motherhood are partners in creating a Los Angeles based weekend workshop/retreat for pregnant women, mothers, and their burgeoning families to be held in May 2010. Based on research findings, reducing stress and negative moods during pregnancy and postpartum can positively impact fetal development and mother-baby attachment. Applying evidence-based cutting-edge research in parenting and mindfulness, this conference will focus on cultivating healthy relational attachments. Additional details to come.