The most underused strategy for your hardest problems
Challenging behavior is rising. Staff are burning out and leaving. The pressure to suspend and expel keeps growing. Consultation has been shown to reduce all three (opens in a new tab). Yet only about 1 in 5 teachers has regular access to a consultant.
- About half
- the expulsion rate for pre-K teachers with ongoing access to a mental health consultantGilliam, 2005
- 5 of 6 studies
- linked consultation to lower staff turnoverBrennan et al., 2008
- 12 of 13 studies
- found fewer acting-out behaviors in childrenPerry et al., 2010
What consultation does for a program
Include
children by reducing suspensions and expulsions
Young children are expelled at far higher rates than older students. Consultation is the proven counterweight.
Status of the Evidence for IECMHC (2022), p2-3Retain
staff by lowering the stress that drives turnover
When teachers feel supported and competent with hard behavior, they stay. Retention is a budget line consultation protects.
Status of the Evidence (2022), p2; Annotated Bibliography, pp3, 9, 16Stabilize
settings by building up the adults who run them
Consultation strengthens the partnership between programs and the families they serve. Its benefit reaches past the classroom.
Maryland State Evaluation, Executive Summary, p8
Is your program ready for consultation?
Check what's already true. We'll show you where you stand and what to do next.
1 of 10
Our consultant works mostly with our teachers and staff rather than one-on-one with children.
0 out of 10 aligned
“When a flower does not bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
Four things to get right
Standing up consultation is a design problem with four parts. We have tools and guidance for each part, starting with the first design conversation and running through the evaluation that keeps it funded.
- Structure the serviceDecide how often, in which classrooms, whether it's child-and-family or programmatic, and how it fits alongside coaching and the Pyramid Model.Programs & Models Tools
- Pay for itBraided funding is the norm: Head Start dollars, CCDF quality funds, and state IECMHC investments. We help you see the options.Financing Guidance
- Hire or train your ownBring on a qualified consultant, or send your staff to become consultants. We cover role definitions, MOUs, and the training path.Build your consultation workforce
- Sustain the workforceConsultation lasts when consultants stay and when you can prove what changed.Sustaining Guide
Build your internal consultation capacity
Train your own staff to consult with the Practical Certificate in IECMHC. It starts with 4 months of training: a 90-minute live session each week plus about 2 hours of self-paced work. Then comes 8 months of 60-minute group supervision led by a licensed clinician. It's 100% virtual.
February and June 2027 cohorts
- Group pricing for teams of 5 or more
- Two pathways, so clinicians and ECE staff can enroll together
- A cohort that builds shared language across your program
Design your system
Browse our program planning and design tools. We have tools and resources for programs in any setting and of any size. Browse based on your need.
- Evaluate your current state with our Program Planning and Reflection Tool
- Learn how to structure a program with our strategic planning modules
- Learn about the IECMHC workforce with our IECMHC Competencies tutorial
- Learn how to implement and evaluate with our Program Evaluation tutorial
- Learn how to design equitable systems of support with our Cultural and Linguistic Competence tutorial
- Learn how to fund and sustain IECMHC systems with our Sustainability Modules
Not sure where to start or need help?
