Jennings Peterson, MA, IMH-E
Founder/Professor/Early Relational Health Practitioner
Jenna is dedicated to ensuring that every child feels seen, understood, and supported from the very beginning of life. A baby’s brain and nervous system - including their stress response - begin developing in the womb, and their earliest experiences shape how they view, experience, and navigate the world. Yet, too often, the essential social and emotional supports that families, teachers, and communities need are missing. To create a more understanding and peaceful world, we have to start from the beginning by equipping the adults in a child’s life with the knowledge and tools to foster safety, security, and resilience from day one. Roots of Resilience was born to bridge that gap.
With nearly 20 years of experience, Jenna combines her expertise in infant and early childhood mental health, developmental science, and relational health to provide practical, science-backed guidance that transforms the way adults support young children.
Currently, Jenna serves a professor of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and oversees Roots of Resilience. Jenna received a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education with an emphasis in Infant Mental Health and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She holds an Infant Mental Health Endorsement with the Washington Association of Infant Mental Health and endorsed as a reflective practice supervisor providing mentorship to professionals in the field.
Jenna began her career and developed her passion for infant mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit working alongside premature infants and their families supporting healthy attachments and optimal child outcomes through the NIDCAP program (Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program). This foundational training in the practical application of neurophysiology as it relates to stress, trauma and behavior became the lens through which she continued to support young children and their families for the next 15 years in early intervention, early learning, and developmental services through various roles in hospitals, clinics, homes and schools.
After a holistic vantage point of the field and in an effort to impact on a larger scale, Jenna moved from direct service into Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health consultation and training roles and later into fulltime teaching in higher education. She is the founder of Roots of Resilience, an educational platform where parents and professionals can go to learn more about the importance and practical application of social and emotional health in the early years. She trained and mentored thousands of practitioners and parents locally, regionally, and nationally in the application of the Infant Mental Health, Trauma Informed Care, Development and Neurobehavioral principals and interventions.
Through Roots of Resilience, she is on a mission to equip parents and professionals with the knowledge and tools to build stronger, healthier relationships from the very start so that parents feel empowered, professionals feel equipped, and children have the strongest possible foundation for lifelong well-being.
Jenna resides in West Seattle, Washington