This is a great question. So much so that my first blog post aims to define this field that is unfamiliar to many. Stay tuned…

In the meantime, check out these helpful links to learn more:

10 Things You Should Know About Infant Mental Health

Zero to Three

Harvard University Center on the Developing Child

IECMH therapists are highly-trained licensed professionals who offer a unique set of services and employ a unique skill set in the mental health industry. Treating the mental health of infants, toddlers and preschoolers is distinct from child or adult mental health, requiring specialized knowledge and training from providers. The specialized education and training I have received includes perinatal mental health; early childhood development; observational skills to address the emotional health of the young child and caregiver; identification of developmental delays; assessment and diagnosis of mental health disorders for ages 0-5; evidence-based interventions for young children and their caregivers; the effects of stress and trauma on families; the importance of attachment for young children; and the impacts of adult mental health on developing children.

IECMH services may be right for you if: You are an expecting parent or primary caregiver of a young child ages 0-6 ~ AND ~ You have a desire to learn how to support your young child’s social & emotional wellbeing and set them up for a lifetime of success. Whether it’s prevention or treatment, IECMH services could be a right fit for you and your family. Perhaps you want reassurance that your child is on track developmentally and to be reassured 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.

Below are examples of behaviors that may be concerning to you and may justify 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

• Flat affect (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

Before the initial meeting, I will ask you to complete an intake questionnaire, which includes your concerns and the presenting issues, and send it to me via the online portal. This will help guide my in-person assessment during our initial meeting, which will include observations of child-caregiver interactions and child behaviors, and questions for you regarding past and present history. After I collect more information, we will begin to develop a mutually-agreed upon treatment plan for you and your child. We will also agree upon frequency and type of counseling sessions. Ongoing dyadic sessions may include a combination of the following: supportive observations highlighting successful interactions, interpretation of infant/child cues and temperament, developmental guidance, exercises in parental reflection, examination of caregiver’s early attachments to support reflective parenting capacity, developmental screening, and psychoeducation of early childhood development.

All of the therapy I provide for your child aged 0-6 (assessments, interventions, etc.) will be done in the context of their relationship with you or their other primary caregivers. This means that I will never be “doing therapy to your child” in the room without you or another caregiver present. To learn more about this dyadic approach to treating the mental health of young children, you can check out my first blog post coming soon!

It depends on the frequency of our sessions, the presenting issues or concerns, and your capacity for ongoing treatment. Our work together may last 3 months, 6 months, a year, or longer. We will have periodic and planned check-ins to determine if our agreed-upon treatment goals have been achieved.

Unfortunately, at this time I am not able to take insurance. I am an out-of-network provider for insurance. Although I do not bill insurance directly, I can provide you with a superbill that you can then submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

The initial meeting will last 60 minutes and will include an assessment process; the cost is $225. Every session thereafter will last 50 minutes; the cost is $175. Circle of Security Parenting groups are offered a few times per year and the cost will be disclosed when active groups are advertised.