Mission

BEBA supports families to resolve prenatal, birth and other early trauma, both physical and emotional, while facilitating the development of compassionate relationships, the healthy growth of children, and effective parenting.

Why is early trauma resolution important?

Experiences in the womb, at birth and during early childhood profoundly affect one's long term physical, emotional and mental health. Brain and nervous system development, immune system strength, learning capacity, stress coping strategies, emotional stability and physical coordination are all experience dependent. The sequence of development is laid out genetically but the early environment is the major contributor to how well the systems work. Optimal development occurs with the timely resolution of early trauma and the resulting secure attachment between parents and children. Secure attachment provides the base for a healthy life with healthy relationships.

What is BEBA?

BEBA is an innovative non-profit organization, founded in 1993, with clinical, research, training and educational programs dedicated to the resolution of early trauma and the strengthening of primary bonds. BEBA programs are:

• Family Clinic
• "Womb Surround" Process Workshops
• Parent and Professional Education
• Professional Training Internships
• Clinical Research and Video Archive

Family Clinic

The clinic offers weekly sessions to Santa Barbara area families. Families come until the original trauma has been resolved and then are welcome to return on an as needed basis. Services are available on a sliding scale. Parents learn to understand what their babies/children are communicating with body language, symbolic play, behaviors and words about their earliest experiences; families learn ways of interacting and activities that will lead to resolution of early trauma and closer, more loving family bonds.

BEBA families work with trained facilitators who utilize approaches that respect the innate wisdom of the child and seek to understand the child's perspective and experience. This model brings together the best of body oriented therapies and pre and perinatal psychology, including craniosacral therapy, playing, modeling, movement facilitation, role-playing and focusing on pacing, tempo and establishing harmonic resonance.

Click here for more information on the BEBA Family Clinic.

"Womb Surround" Process Workshops

Adults have an opportunity to explore patterns developed in their first years of life. The attachment experience of parents influences their ability to bond with their children. Parental trauma resolution increases parents' ability to bond with each other and their children.

Click here for more information on BEBA Process Workshops.

Parent and Professional Education

BEBA research is the basis for professional training programs, visiting lectures, slide presentations and articles published in professional journals. Multimedia presentations are given in a wide range of settings, from local parent groups to national and international conferences. BEBA is now offering a series of experiential, interactive parenting workshops to both parents and interested professionals.

Click here for more information on BEBA's Adult Education programs.

Professional Training Internships

BEBA is a leader in the prenatal and perinatal community. BEBA offers selected healthcare practitioners the opportunity to receive direct clinical training in approaches for prenatal, birth, infant and child trauma resolution. Students observe family sessions led by BEBA facilitators and assist in the video recording process. Some students progress through an internship program to become assistant facilitators, then BEBA facilitators.

More information on BEBA Internships will be available soon.

Clinical Research and Video Archive

The BEBA family clinic is a research clinic. Every family session is videotaped and extensive notes are recorded. BEBA has a growing archive of over 2000 hours of videotaped sessions that are used for study.

The development of approaches for resolving trauma is also an ongoing part of our research. Families continuously provide us with more information about the challenges they face and our approaches are constantly refined in the face of real need. BEBA intends to follow families for a twenty-year period beginning from the time they first attend the clinic.

Click here for more information on BEBA's Clinical Research.