Dawn Yazzie

Dawn Yazzie, MA, NCC (Navajo) established Dził Nitsaa Consulting and Services, LLC, to support states, agencies and Tribal communities to build culturally-relevant IECMH practices and services to equitably support young children and families within communities. She brings an equity focus by honoring spirituality and multigenerational healing as a beginning step to healing justice work. This healing work is in parallel and intertwines with her western perspective work. She previously worked as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant (IECMHC) on the Navajo Nation for 8 years and provided national technical assistance to federal grantees around IECMH through the Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation for 6 years. She brings this experience and her cultural perspective to the work and trainings she provides for administrators, ECE providers, and IECMH/IECMHC professionals about Infant Mental Health, and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.  Dawn’s maternal clan is Ye’ii Dine’e Tachii’nii, born for Kiiya’aanii (paternal clan), and she is the baby of Asdzaa Naadleehi (Changing Woman – Diné female deity). Dawn comes from a lineage of resilient survivors of western colonization and the Navajo Long Walk of HwéeldÍ. Dawn is working to reclaim Navajo cultural practices alongside her family to carry forward for future generations.