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>>Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consulting
“Providing social and emotional support through quality care.”
What is an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation?
The Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation strives to improve children’s social and emotional functioning, reduce challenging behaviors, and address the prevalence of suspensions and expulsions, especially of children of color.
Our intentional focus is on child care professionals serving children up to age 5. It is a no-cost service that partners directly with adult caregivers to support the child’s mental health and development indirectly by strengthening the skills and resources of the dedicated professionals who care for them; it is not therapy or a direct service to the child.
What is an Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants?
Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants (IECMHC) build a supportive partnership with child care professionals. Together, they will problem-solve and enhance skills to effectively support the social, emotional, and behavioral health and development of the infants and toddlers in their care.
The ultimate goal of this mental health consultation is to improve "the ability of staff, families, programs, and systems to prevent, identify, treat, and reduce the impact of mental health problems” among young children (Cohen and Kaufmann, 2005).
The project, which focuses on children 0-5 years of age, follows principles of mental health consultation identified by Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development:
Relationship-based
Collaborative
Culturally and linguistically responsive
Individualized
Evidence-informed
Grounded in developmental knowledge
Data-driven
Delivered in natural settings
Spans the continuum from promotion through intervention
Integrated with community supports
Ready to Enhance Your Caregiving Success?
If you are looking for personalized, no-cost support to confidently manage behavioral challenges, enhance your skills, and promote the mental wellness of the infants and toddlers in your care, partner with us today.
Take the next step: Complete our quick interest form.
One of our Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants will be in touch soon to discuss how we can support you.
Consultation services at a glance:
The Central New York Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant team provides a broad range of services (free of charge) that focus on supporting the relationship between children, ages 0-5 years, and the caregivers in their lives, such as:
Consultation that reflects and respects the philosophy of early childhood mental health consultation practices, that is culturally responsive to the child, caregiver, and the early care and education setting
Support staff that works with infants and young children with classroom management strategies to promote the social-emotional development for infants and toddlers in their care
Guidance on the use of developmental, social, and emotional screening tools
Support staff that works with infants and young children in creating a pro-social learning environment, that is emotionally safe, responsive, and growth-promoting by co-developing and implementing classroom plans, specially designed for each classroom
Assessment of the strengths and challenges within the infant and young children setting/environment, as well as teacher/child care professional practice
Connection to resources for social and emotional learning in early care and education environments
The IECMHC team is available to work with you in person, virtually (via Zoom), over the phone, or through email.
Questions?
Contact our IECMHC Coordinator for more information.
