Infant &
Early Childhood
Mental Health

Nurturing your young child’s primary relationships for a lifetime of social & emotional well-being.

Whether it’s prevention or treatment, IECMH services could be a right fit for you and your family…

Perhaps you have have recently welcomed a young child into your home through birth, kinship care, foster care or adoption; and you have the desire to promote a healthy bond and attachment with your child.

You may want reassurance that your child is on track developmentally and to know that you have the tools to support their development, (particularly when it comes to their ability to experience, express and manage a broad range of emotions and social interactions) and set them up for a lifetime of success.

Or maybe you are concerned that your child is exhibiting behaviors that may benefit from assessment and treatment. Early detection and treatment of developmental challenges increases the chances of improvement and reduces problems later in life.

For infants and young children who have experienced a potentially traumatic event, IECMH services can play a vital role in helping to restore and maintain emotional safety, serving as a buffer against some of the long-term impacts of lifelong learning, mental and physical health, and development.

Below are examples of behaviors that may be concerning to you and may benefit from an assessment:

Infants and Toddlers (Birth to 3 years old)

  • Difficulty eating or sleeping

  • Inconsolable “fussiness” or irritability

  • Incessant crying with little ability to be consoled

  • Inability to adapt to new situations

  • Easily startled or alarmed by routine events

  • Inability to establish relationships with other children or adults

  • Excessive hitting, biting, and pushing of other children or very withdrawn behavior

  • Shows little to no emotion at all

Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old)

  • Engages in compulsive activities (e.g., play enacted in a specific order, hand washing, repeating words silently)

  • Extreme tantrums

  • Withdrawn; shows little interest in social interaction

  • Displays repeated aggressive or impulsive behavior

  • Difficulty playing with others

  • Little or no communication; lack of language

  • Loss of earlier developmental achievements or “regressions”

  • Anxious and fearful in most situations

Dyadic
Counseling

Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health therapy is delivered through “dyadic counseling” which involves the young child (aged 0-6 years) and their parents/primary caregivers working together with the therapist. Dyadic counseling is both collaborative and reflective. My job is to create a safe space where together we can: wonder about who your child is and the unique characteristics they bring to your relationship, explore the strengths of both you and your child, practice attunement and co-regulation by which you use your whole being to help your child organize their feelings, and ultimately develop a mutually enjoyable relationship and stronger bond and connection between you and your child. Focusing on your strengths, I will offer in-the-moment positive and instructive feedback to you, which will help you to identify the WHAT - parenting moments that went well, and the WHY -  how these positive interactions with your child benefit their development. 

*For caregivers of children ages 3 and over, I recommend individual counseling alongside dyadic counseling to ensure you have the discretion and time to discuss issues that are important to you. One example of what this could look like is having 1 individual session a month with the remainder of the weeks as dyadic sessions.*

Collaboration with collateral contacts

I am able to collaborate with other service providers who have worked with you and/or your child. Such providers include medical physicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, teachers, child care providers, etc.

*Learn more about this evidence-based program by clicking on the logo above*

We can dive deeper into these verbal feedback strategies through one of the in-session evidenced-based program interventions I offer called Promoting First Relationships (PFR). PFR is an evidence-based program designed to promote children’s social-emotional development through responsive, nurturing caregiver-child relationships. It is a strengths-based intervention that uses video feedback to highlight the strengths of the caregiving relationship to build a caregiver’s confidence and sense of competence, which in turn promotes the social-emotional health of young children. Over the course of 10 consecutive weeks, we focus on the deeper emotional feelings and needs underlying caregivers’ and children’s distress and behaviors while promoting a wondering stance in parents and caregivers through reflection and mindfulness. Research has shown that participating in the PFR program has had positive effects on parent attitudes, parents perceived stress, and their ability to foster social and emotional growth in their children.