10.1

The Challenge of Cultural Perspectives in Consultation

teachers and toddlers

In addition to minding their own personal and professional cultural influences, the consultant has the challenging role of providing consultation and facilitating the process of collaboration among all parties. To be effective, the consultant must bring their knowledge as an early childhood mental health professional as well as be culturally empathic and knowledgeable (Cohen &

Three Perspectives

Everyone has a culture. Learning about the cultural context of each party is especially necessary when the consultant, family, and staff do not share the same culture and language. However, it is important to remember that even persons sharing the same race or ethnicity can differ in their cultural backgrounds and perspectives, and persons that

The Cultural Context of Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

baby with mother

Early childhood mental health consultation is a relationship-based, collaborative process to address a specific developmental, behavioral, or mental health concern and build capacity that engages all partners – families, staff, consultant – in the context of an ECE setting or other organization where the child is being served (Cohen & Kaufmann, 2005). Because young children’s

The Bio-Social, Cultural Context of Family and Community

baby and parents

Bio-Social, Cultural Context of Family Even before a child is born, the bio-social, cultural context of family and community has influence on the child’s development. Cultural beliefs and practices related to family relationships, pregnancy, pre-natal care, birth and delivery influence an expectant family’s anticipation and experience of the coming child as well as the developing

A Call to Cultural Competence: The Science of Early Child Development and Mental Health

Baby lying on back

An important benchmark in the field of early child development was the publication From Neurons to Neighborhoods (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2000), a compilation of several decades of research in neurobiological, behavioral, and social sciences that led to major advances in understanding the conditions that influence the healthy development of infants and

This product was developed [in part] under grant number 1H79SM082070-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.