WHAT IS INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION?

According to the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child, young children’s social and emotional well-being is closely linked to the emotional health of the adults caring for them. When children have stable, nurturing relationships with their caregivers, it sets them up for success as they transition to kindergarten and beyond. However, child care and early education program leaders, teachers, and providers often struggle to support the children in their care. For example, young children are three times more likely to be expelled from preschool than their older peers in K–12, with young boys and girls of color disproportionally suspended and expelled (Meek & Gilliam, 2016). Early behavioral challenges can lead to long-term negative outcomes, so it’s vital for caregivers to get the support they need to meet all children’s diverse learning and care needs.

One promising approach to tackle these challenges is infant and early childhood mental health consultation, or IECMHC. This process pairs mental health consultants with early childhood program staff to provide relationship- and strength-based problem-solving support. Through these reflective conversations with an IECMH consultant, providers/staff consider the meaning of young children’s behavior and how their own experiences and beliefs impact the way they respond to children. IECMH consultants also help providers/staff develop effective classroom and/or program management and relationship-building strategies to respond more intentionally and effectively to behavior they find challenging, which builds their confidence in working with children and families.

The following individuals are individuals who provide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health consultation in Alaska. AK-AIMH cannot guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these individuals' training and/or supervision in providing IECMHC.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants