Ohio Grantee Spotlight
Ohio is one of seven states awarded a Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant in 2013 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) is a multilevel approach to promotion and prevention that teams mental health professionals with people who work with young children and their families to improve their social, emotional, and behavioral health and development. IECMHC can occur in various child-serving settings, including early care and education (ECE). This Project LAUNCH strategy focuses specifically on IECMHC in ECE programs, although many grantees also are applying IECMHC to home visiting programs and in primary care settings.
IECMHC encompasses a broad array of strategies implemented at multiple levels: the child, the family, the provider, the program, and the community. Although mental health consultants do work directly with individual children and families, many of their efforts are intended to build the capacities of ECE providers, programs, and systems to foster young children’s development and to prevent or address emotional and behavioral issues.
An estimated 9.5 percent to 14.2 percent[1] of children from birth to 5 years of age experience emotional or behavioral challenges. IECMHC has proven to be an effective strategy to address these issues. For example, the use of a mental health consultant improves the capacities of providers to address challenging behavior in young children, reduces stress in parents and teachers, and decreases the rates at which children are expelled from early childhood programs for behavior problems.
The value of IECMHC was highlighted in a 2014 policy statement released by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This statement provided recommendations for expulsion and suspension practices in early childhood settings, including advocating for teachers’ access to mental health consultants to provide specialized support and to build their own skills in working effectively with young children and families. The policy statement also includes references and resources related to mental health consultation in early care and education.
Mental health consultants have specific knowledge and competencies to deliver effective prevention and promotion services. It is recommended that IECMHC consultants, at a minimum, have master’s degrees in mental health; be licensed or license-eligible and well-trained in their fields; have at least 2–3 years of work experience as mental health professionals; practice a consultative stance; and possess attributes and skills critical to this work (e.g., facilitate partnerships and demonstrate cultural sensitivity, flexibility, empathy, and curiosity).
Mental health consultants also have specialized knowledge of ECE systems and child development. They understand the effects of stressors on child development and mental health, how substance use and domestic and community violence can affect mental well-being, and the relationship between adult mental illness and infant social–emotional development.
[1] Brauner, C. B., & Stephens, C. B. (2006). Estimating the prevalence of early childhood serious emotional/behavioral disorder: Challenges and recommendations. Public Health Reports, 121(3), 303–310.
Ohio is one of seven states awarded a Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant in 2013 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This brief highlights many notable and emerging successes of grantees in expanding and sustaining services for children and families in the five core Project LAUNCH strategies (screening and assessment; enhanced home visiting through increased focus on social and emotional well-being; mental health consultation in early care and education programs; family strengthening and parent skills training; and integration of behavioral health into primary care settings).
California Project LAUNCH describes experiences with
implementing an early childhood mental health home visiting model, with a focus on lessons learned, preliminary results, and recommendations that support the expansion and sustainability of this approach.
Kansas Project LAUNCH summarizes mental health consultation and describes the benefits of the service and how it was implemented in one county in Kansas.
Washington, D.C. Project LAUNCH summaries the implementation, evaluation, lessons learned, and recommendations of the Healthy Futures mental health consultation program in 25 community-based child development centers.
Boone County Project LAUNCH provides an overview of EC-PBS and its benefits to early childhood sites.
NYC Project LAUNCH highlights and summarizes work to support early childhood mental health consultation in early care and education, and provides recommendations for future efforts in these areas.
Describes Colorado's work to promote early childhood social and emotional development through the use of mental health consultants in schools and child care programs.
Considers the role of educational attainment, degree type (e.g., concentration or major in early childhood or a related field), years of experience, and training. The brief concludes with implications for future research, as well as for policy and practice.
Offers a series of tutorials designed to enhance skills and knowledge about how to implement effective mental health consultation in community-based programs.
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Safe Schools / Healthy Students