Ann Hefferan - Director



Ann is the founder of Community Transformations Inc. Ann wanted to follow in the footsteps of Hand in Hand by bringing the Hand in Hand Parenting by Connection program to parents in Australia.



​She has been delivering the approach since 1992, mentoring both parents and professionals (including family services, child care centre and pre-school staff) in using Parenting by Connection with children.  Over this time, her work has entailed delivering Parenting by Connection to hundreds of groups.



Ann managed the 2006 'Listening to Children Project' that successfully implemented the approach in three child care centres.  She also worked with centre directors and staff to engage in a complementary research project on the implementation.



Ann's other roles have included counsellor and professional development consultant in the private, business, government and corporate sectors, delivering training on a range of topics.  She has taught "The Art of Listening" to many groups and has been a senior social worker, working with people with 'multiple, severe and complex needs' and a youth worker. Ann has a BA Degree from the University of Adelaide, where she studied Psychology, Biology, Philosophy, History and Political Economy.



She began training in the Parenting by Connection approach in 1989 and first trained with Patty Wipfler, of Hand in Hand, in 1992.  Since then, Ann has trained and collaborated with Patty at regular intervals from then until the present time, in both Australia and the United States of America.

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Ann has an adult daughter and a granddaughter and baby grandson.