The UCLA Family Development Program (FDP) provides evaluation, consultation, prevention, and treatment services for parents and families who are experiencing early life medical challenges with their infant, including high-risk pregnancies and NICU stays. At FDP, our mission is to enhance the ability of family members to care for themselves, support each other, and cope with a variety of stressors while bonding with and nurturing their infant.
Launched in 1987 by the esteemed Dr. Christoph Heinicke, the UCLA Family Development Program has provided high quality services to new mothers, fathers, and their families in Los Angeles County for over 30 years. Housed within the Nathanson Family Resilience Center in the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, FDP is an evidence-based practice, grounded in theory and the latest research on family resilience and child development. With funding from longstanding private donors, our program continues to grow to meet the changing needs of the families we serve.
Who We Serve
We offer support services to parents and families who are facing early life medical challenges with their infant and want to provide the best possible future for their family. Health challenges may include, but are not limited to:
- NICU Stays
- Surgeries
- High-risk antepartum hospitalizations
- Other medical complications
Our services are available to families during their hospital stay and after their transition home. Due to COVID-19, our program is currently providing telehealth visits using a HIPAA-compliant web interface using video and audio format. We also provide consultations via telephone.
Services We Offer
Being a new parent can be tough. The UCLA Family Development Program is here to help by providing:
- Convenient weekly visits in the comfort of your home, at our clinic, or at the medical center (due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are offering telehealth visits).
- Guidance in bonding with your baby
- Strategies for coping with the many difficulties that parents experience when their infants are facing medical challenges
- Confidential mental health assessment and referrals to additional resources, if needed
- Individual, couple and family consultations and therapy
- Ongoing support during and after your transition home via virtual or in-person sessions
Contact Us
To learn more about the UCLA Family Development Program and to schedule an appointment, you can call us at 310-825-7573 or email at starclinic@mednet.ucla.edu. We are located at 760 Westwood Plaza, Room A8-153, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
