About
Dr. Shannon Bekman is a clinical psychologist with over 15 years’ experience working with young children and families. As specialist in perinatal, infant and early childhood mental health, Dr. Bekman is dedicated to helping very young children (ages 0-6) and their parents heal and grow after stressful or traumatic experiences. She partners with families when young children have experienced scary or painful events including: loss of a loved one, separation from caregivers, serious medical procedures, and other frightening events such as abuse or witnessing violence at home or in the community.
Dr. Bekman also has a special interest in perinatal mental health and partners with expecting mothers who have experienced trauma or significant stress and are seeking support during pregnancy and early parenthood.
Across the span of her career, Dr. Bekman has worked in hospitals, schools, residential treatment centers, and outpatient clinics giving her a wide breadth of clinical experience at all levels of care. Her specialties include: infant/early childhood trauma, traumatic grief, bereavement, parent-young child relationships, attachment disruption, dyadic parent- child treatment and perinatal mental health.
In addition to clinical services, Dr. Bekman is deeply passionate about supporting other mental health providers to hone their craft and adopt best practices. As an endorsed infant and early childhood clinical mentor (IECMH-E®), she provides reflective supervision/consultation to other infant and early childhood mental health providers seeking a deeper understanding of their work. She can provide consultation and supervision in Child Parent Psychotherapy and to those seeking to attain or maintain IMH-E® or ECMH-E® endorsement.
Dr. Bekman frequently offers trainings, presentations and workshops on topics pertaining to infant and early childhood mental health. As the director of a statewide SAMSHA-funded IECMH grant, Right Start for Colorado, she supported the expansion and strengthening of Colorado’s IECMH workforce and trains on Child Parent Psychotherapy, reflective supervision/consultation, assessment and diagnosis in infancy and early childhood.
Credentials
Licensed Clinical Psychologist in State of Colorado
Infant Mental Health Mentor- Clinical, IMH-E®, 2014-present
Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor- Clinical, ECMH-E®, 2020-present
Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT®)
Education
Dr. Bekman received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester. She went on to earn a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and a PhD in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. Following a pre-doctoral internship at Tulane School of Medicine, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in child development and infant mental health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Qualifications and Training
Endorsed Child-Parent Psychotherapy trainer for Colorado
Rostered Child-Parent Psychotherapy clinician and supervisor
Circle of Security Intensive provider
Circle of Security Parenting Certified Facilitator
Member of the ZERO TO THREE Academy of fellows
ZERO TO THREE IECMH faculty and national trainer
Published author in peer-reviewed academic journals and books
View Curriculum Vitae
