immea center

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Project I am me Spring 2013

I am me********

A new worldWe live in a rapidly changing world. What worked 20 years ago has already become

obsolete. Parents are faced with new difficulties in their personal lives, and wonder what

rearing practices they should adopt in raising their children.

Continued on 2

The visionMy vision of a center-based

program focusing on

individuality and community.

Page 2

The directorMy experience as a teacher,

speech therapist, behavior

therapist, and life coach.

Page 4

TestimonialsParents share their

experiences.

Page 6


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We live in a rapidly changing

world. What worked 20 years

ago has already become

obsolete. Parents are faced

with new difficulties in their

personal lives, and wonder

what rearing practices they

should adopt in raising their

children. Is math and science

still more important to teach

than the arts? Would mychild benefit from learning

piano, or taking a yoga class,

instead? Should I restrict i-

phone/ i-Pad use, or should I

encourage it in an

increasingly digital world?

Can my 7-year old have a

Facebook profile? He cannot

sit still for longer than 5

minutes - does he have ADD?He mostly keeps to himself

I worry he has Autism

What life skills will promote

my childs happiness in the

decade to come? At what

age should he know his

ABCs? What will prepare

him for kindergarten?

The web is full of diverse,

and often-conflicting

information, and experts inall fields offer a multitude

of methods to stimulate

brain development and

acquire certain skills. How

much stimulation is enough

stimulation? How can I

preserve my childs

childhood while insuring hell

be ready for kindergarten

and first grade?

A new world

Envision a place where all

adults are knowledgeable,

happy, and passionate about

working with children, as

they consider it a privilege to

be able to contribute to life

that way. They pay special

attention to each childs

personality, strengths and

needs, and support their

development holistically, on

all levels: physical, social,

emotional, and cognitive.

Research shows that the first

years of a childs life are

critical for their development.

We want to create a place

where children will flourish

together, while feeling free

to be themselves.

A happy place to play and learn

Happiness

12 things happy

people do

differently:

Express gratitude

Cultivate optimism

Avoid over-thinkingand social comparison

Practice acts of

kindness

Nurture social

relationships

Develop strategies for

coping

Learn to forgive

Increase flow

experiences

Savor Lifes joys Commit to their goals

Practice spirituality

Take care of their

body


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Our centerIt is not out differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and

celebrate those differences. (Audre Lorde)

Population served: children age 2-5 years, and their

families.

Ratio: 1 adult to 3 children

Diversity of staff and children.

Focus on individuality, social skills, community, and

parent support and collaboration.

Staff speaks English, Spanish, and Cantonese.

One speech therapist is present on site 3-5 days/week.

Occupational therapist, physical therapist and

psychologist pay monthly visits and consult with the

staff and parents.

Staff attends periodical trainings led by the director in

all areas of development.

Monthly parent training workshops taught by the director and other specialists in the field

of early child development will be available.

Parents can view their children live while at home or at work via webcam upon request. Monthly reports including videos will be sent home. When graduating, children will be

handed a video notebook with their previous work and memories for keepsake.


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Sed et tellus at quam sagittis pharetra. Donec faucibus sagittis justo.I am a teacher, mentor, life coach, behavioral

therapist and speech and language

pathologist with a unique approach totherapy and counseling that incorporates an

array of strategies originating in psychology,

physiology, spirituality, and cognitive

neuroscience.

My training started in Romania, where I grew

up in a modest family of educators. As an

atypical learner, I struggled to excel in a

communist education system based on rote

memorization and non-creative thinking. At

age eighteen I became a teacher determinedto develop a new way of thinking and

imparting knowledge. Studying psychology

followed, in order to better understand

human cognition and behavior. From a young

age, I was also drawn to language, intuiting

the power it has over thinking and human

interaction. Studying and learning new

languages started as a separate interest that

only grew larger, and merged with my other

two passions, those of teaching and

counseling.

I have worked with typically developing

children, children with special needs and their

families for the past 13 years, in a variety of

settings including schools and homes. I have

learned about difficulties parents encounter in

raising their children, from handling undesired

behaviors to supporting childrens

development in areas of need. Through

collaborations with other professionals, I have

learned ways to support a variety of childrenin their global development. I view all areas of

development as interconnected and working

in tandem, therefore I believe in identifying

and building on existing strengths when

addressing areas of need.

My therapy sessions and playgroups are

environments where children are respected in

Teacher Behavior therapist Life Coach

Alina Mihai

Speech Therapist


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individuality, and supported in their

acquisition of skills. I see every child as a

unique individual, with unique strengths and

motivation that drives them to grow. Since

parents play a key role in their childrens

cognitive, emotional and social development, I

offer parent counseling and education on a

regular basis, and continuously keep them

informed of their childrens successes.

It is my mission to continue to support

families in their growth, and through it,

contribute to our community that in turn will

support all of us in our quests for happiness

and harmony.

Ph:

Email:

550 Fell St. Unit 15

San Francisco, CA 94102

Ph: 650.814.2818

Fax: 650.814.2818

www.logopeda.us

Contact Alina:


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Testimonials

Rosa and Yeroham

Alina, as a person and as a therapist, is outstanding.

Her uniqueness exceeds all expectations. As a person,

she is admirably organized, highly ethical and friendly,

she has the ability to connect and to communicate,

making one feel included and being able to participate

as if we were old friends. She is genuine, sweet, and

truthful. As a professional therapist, from 1 to 10, 10

being the top, she is a 11. She is always prepared,

knowledgeable, and capable of tackling any situationwith a very sweet approach. My son loves her, and

expects to see her as if he knew how to count the days. She

motivates him, and he has overcome plenty of issues in such

amazing ways. Hardly any words could be exact to explain

what an amazing professional therapist we have in Alina. We will forever be

indebted and grateful for all the benefits that our son, and by association his

twin sister gain from Alinas therapy.

Ph: 415.240.7283

Email: [email protected]

Maria and ErickWhen we met Alina, our son Erick, a very shy child,

was having difficulties in his speech/ language and social

development. In time, Alina not only managed to gain his

trust, but also helped me as a mother to understand my

sons personality, how to help him socialize, and gave us

the tools and resources necessary to help him develop his

speech and language. Alina is a great speech therapist, as

well as a great human being. What I like most about the

way she works is that she focuses on Erick in a holisticway, taking into consideration all aspects of his

personality. I felt supported a lot by Alina. These days,

Erick is a bit more social, and has progressed a lot in his speech and

language. This is the consequence of having worked with a person like

Alina, who has passion and love for what she does.

Ph: 562.221.7845Email: [email protected]


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Allisons story

Before Alina began providing services for Allison, she was

completely non-verbal, and her only form of communication

was through smiling, pointing, etc. Over the course of the

past few months, Allison has progressed tremendously. The

teachers absolutely noticed the progression in her language,

which initially started as single words such as yes or no,

and advanced to full sentences. Allison has begun to talk,

interact substantially more with her peers, and communicate

with her teachers. As a result, besides her speech and

language improvements, weve also seen her personality

flourish, all thanks to Alina. It has been a pleasure having her

work with my student. Her teachers, as well as her parents,are equally grateful and appreciative of Alinas hard work and

dedication to the advancement of this childs language development.

Gabriela Clyde, Cross-Cultural Family Center: Mary Lane

Katherine and Ian

Alina works wonderfully with children, she is

compassionate and sensitive to their needs and wants

in order to reach the most success. She pays a great

deal of attention to functional goals (improving a

child's communication for life - daily living), not just

constant structured activities. Her intuitiveness works

well in a childcare environment, and she is focused on

keeping positive energy a main priority. I myself havelearned so much from watching her work and have seen

amazing results due to her efforts. She is amazing.

Ph: 562.221.7845Email: [email protected]

Ph: 415.861.0144



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Hinde and Yasmin

Before we started speech therapy with Alina, my 3-year

old daughter Yasmin, did not attach easily to adults. She

always wanted to be only with me. With Alina it was

different. She liked her the first time she saw her, and

after the second session she wanted to go home with her.

Now she asks for Alina every single day. She even pretends

to talk to her on the phone. It is very unusual that she

attached to her so quickly. Alina gave me useful advice on how

to help Yasmin with her speech and language, and also on how

to manage her behavior. Because Yasmin she was having

difficulty transitioning to a new speech therapist, Alina volunteered to

join in one of their sessions, which was very helpful. Alina is proactive, a

wealth of knowledge, and a very kind person. Thank you so much Alina.

You were amazing with Yasmin. You are the best!

Julie and Basil

I cannot say enough about Alina Mihai and what an

incredibly positive influence she's had on our 3 1/2

year old son Basil. Not only has Basil's speech and

comprehension improved considerably since he's been

in her care for the past year and half, but he adores

her, talks about her non-stop and always looks forward

to her visits. Alina's technique possesses the perfect

balance of structure and nurture that Basil responds

to very well. She is incredibly knowledgeable,

passionate and confident about what she does and goes above and beyond their hourly

weekly sessions. She has stopped by our house on several occasions (off the clock) just to

discuss the progress he's made. She's always on time and returns texts/calls within minutes.

We feel beyond lucky to have found her and plan on never letting her go!

Ph: 562.221.7845


Ph: 415.533.9044



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My name is Rebecca Taylor; this is a picture of my

happy two year old and 8 months baby boy Jake

Taylor. He was not always this happy. Jake has had a

global developmental delay, which means he is slower

than most kids in every developing domain. He has

struggled with gross motor, fine motor, cognitive and

speech development. This also caused behaviors with

Jake that were sometimes hard to work through which is

typical for a child that is behind and frustrated. When

Jake first started receiving services, he was just about

to turn two and began speech therapy. He had four

consistent words, Mama, Dada, Baba (bottle) and go.Jakes assigned speech therapist Alina Mihai was much

needed at the time but at that time I did not know just

how much we needed her.

Jake was extremely frustrated with limited speech, and

Alina worked with Jake building a rapport with him even through that frustration

and tantrums. Alina is multi-talented. She has a strong background not only in

speech but also in behavior therapy. This was key for Jake; she was able to break

through barriers with Jake that I had only hoped for. Soon after Alina started

working with Jake, he was able to baby sign language. This brought Jakes

communication up and frustration down. Her methods through play soon

produced speech and started to bring other qualities out of Jake. Suddenly Jakecould attend to activities and his focus increased greatly. He was able to

maintain joint attention, which is key when helping a child learn during sessions.

Other things emerged through these sessions such as pretend play and sharing.

This has transferred over into his everyday life not just during therapy, at the

playground or home. Jakes receptive skills have doubled since Alina has guided

him he can now follow two-step instructions, and has expanded his verbal

vocabulary. Jake can make simple request and express himself now without

having to tantrum or cry.

Jake may still have a disability but through early intervention, Jake will have a

head start on his future challenges in life. There is no one I would have wanted as

a support system for our family more than Alina; she has truly changed Jakes

life. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have her in our lives and any child

would be blessed to have her as a caregiver. Alina cares about her children,

guides them, finds their strengths and weaknesses and helps the child grow. Jake

looks forward to his time with Alina and waits at the door before she enters the

room and you can see that smile on his face when she comes in. There is nothing

more beautiful than a childs smile when they see someone that they care about,

and makes a difference in their lives.

Rebecca and Jake

Ph: 415.244.8025



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Ph:

Email:

550 Fell St. Unit 15

San Francisco, CA 94102

Ph: 650.814.2818

Fax: 650.814.2818

www.logopeda.us

Contact Alina:

Helena and AveryAlina has been working with my 2-year-old daughter,

Avery, with a speech delay. Over the past several months,

we have noticed a substantial growth in her speech. I give a

great deal of credit to Alina for the improvement. Not only

are the sessions fun and motivating, but they are organized

and constructive. Alina's natural intuitiveness combined with

her knowledge in psychology & behavior management help her

to connect and understand my daughter as a whole. This

creates a safe and comfortable atmosphere for learning. Alina

is always eager to share her knowledge with me, and answerany questions or concerns. Our family feels fortunate that

Avery's first "teacher" is Alina. She's enriched Avery's life in

more ways than just providing speech therapy. I firmly believe

our children and community will benefit greatly from Alina and

her vision.

Ph: 813.410.1434


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