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She earned a Masters in Clinical Psychology, specializing in children, from Antioch University in June of 2002. Jeanette treats children with serious psychological problems secondary to histories of abuse, neglect, and /or multiple placements. She has specialized for the past 15 years in the treatment of children who manifest serious deficits in their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development. Her desire to become a child therapist with a special focus on adopted and foster care issues derived from her own experience of having been adopted and moving through the foster care system. Jeanette's personal experience has informed her education and has provided her insight into the unique stresses involved with these life transitions.

She spent four years as a professional social worker and therapist, and developed a series of groundbreaking interventions for working with foster and adopted children and currently presents creative workshops for parents as well as therapists and social workers across Los Angeles, most recently at the 2005 Child Welfare League Conference and the 2012 DCFS Conference.

Because of her life experience, she can more easily connect and relate to children and teens she works with because they share a common bond. Jeanette is dedicated to helping each one of her clients reach their full potential through mental health therapy and make the difficult journey from despair towards resiliency and hope.

Jeanette is frequently asked to speak on panels to prospective adoptive parents and social workers to help provide an understanding of the psychological and emotional impacts of multiple transitions for children in out of home care and provide tools for parenting adoptive and foster children.

In 1999, Jeanette wrote and performed a one-woman show titled, “What’s Your Name, Who’s Your Daddy?” about her life story growing up in the New York State foster care system and being adopted at age 7 1/2.

In 2006, Jeanette received the Foster Care Hero Advocate award (left) for the Foster Care Awareness Campaign from the County of Los Angeles for her outstanding contributions to the children and families served by the Los Angeles County Foster Care System.

She can be seen online as an Adoption expert at www.KidsintheHouse.com and on the Oprah Winfrey Website at http://www.oprah.com/owners/Web-Exclusive-Kym-Gets-Support-from-Other-Adoptive-Parents-Video