The Equity Chat Series is designed to provide a forum to further dialogue on equity topics in order to support more equitable systems and strengthen culturally responsive IECMHC practices to reduce disparities and improve child outcomes.
Equity Chat Series: Unpacking the Revised Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Competencies
This Equity Chat series includes eight consecutive sessions that will delve deeper into the revised IECMHC Competencies to examine the IECMH consultant’s role in supporting equity in IECMHC. Each session will focus on a specific competency and provide examples of ways IECMH consultants can address issues of equity to disrupt bias and disparities, and improve child outcomes.
Studies suggest that Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation can be an effective equity practice. This forum will offer an opportunity to explore the mechanisms that make this possible. Specifically, we will ponder how the consultant’s way of being – the Consultative Stance – contributes to dismantling structural racism and other forms of oppression and supports equitable treatment of young children and their families.”
Presenters:
Eva Marie Shivers, CEP Partners & Executive Director of Indigo Cultural Center
Kadija Johnston LCSW, Private Consultant & Georgetown University Faculty
Description: This month the COE will introduce the revised Equity Toolkit. We will review the components and format of the Equity Toolkit, so that mental health consultants, supervisors, etc. can use the resources in ways that deepen our awareness, understanding, and commitment to integrating a racial equity lens into all aspects of our IECMHC work.
Some of the themes covered in the Equity Toolkit and this month’s equity chat will include:
Learn about disparities in the experiences of young children of color and children from other marginalized communities in early childhood settings.
Explore the role of the consultant in supporting equity in IECMHC.
Explore how to use the Equity Toolkit individually and with colleagues in order to understand how to support more equitable systems and strengthen culturally responsive IECMHC practices to reduce disparities and improve child outcomes.
Presenters:
Shantel Meek, Founding Director of Children’s Equity Project (CEP)
Eva Marie Shivers, CEP Partners & Executive Director of Indigo Cultural Center
The Revised IECMHC Competencies: Examining the Role of the Consultant in Advancing Equity in IECMHC
Description: This first session will highlight the revised IECMHC Competencies and examine the role of the consultant in addressing issues of equity through IECMHC to disrupt bias and disparities and improve child outcomes.
Presenters:
Lisa Gordon, Project Director, Training & Technical Assistance, Children’s Equity Project
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.