Find the tool for your IECMHC needs

• Webinars and eventsClosing Early: Equitable Implications of Factors that Impact Longevity of Consultation RelationshipsOutcomes of IECMHC are protection and promotion of health and well-being of children and adults. However, the early closure of consultation relationships severely limits these expected outcomes. Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the early care and education (ECE) landscape and exacerbated structural challenges. These lasting disruptions impacted the capacities and functioning of families, ECE programs and providers. In addition, disruptions led to a “mass exodus” of educators from the field (Harry et al., 2022; Eadie et al., 2021). Thus, examining the current landscape of early closures in this “pandemic to endemic” era (the era following the height of COVID-19) and identifying factors that foster the continuation of consultation is essential. Using data from South Carolina's PEAR network collected with 80 ECE sites in 2020-2023, we present the landscape of early closures via the proportion of sites that “completed” consultation and the reasons for early closures (e.g., child expulsion, teacher turnover). Further, we explore factors contributing to early closures via attrition analyses and expert anecdotal evidence from PEAR consultants.Policy & Financing
• GuideCompetencies: Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health ConsultationWorkforceConsultation Practice
• BriefConsiderations for Providing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Early Care and Education Settings to Support Children in Foster CareThis brief focuses on how infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) can mitigate the challenges these children face, as well as the challenges that early childhood education (ECE) teachers and other program staff face in providing the best possible care for them.Consultation PracticeEquity
• Self-assessmentConsultant Self-Assessment and Resources CrosswalkThe Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Self-Assessment and its Resources Crosswalk help mental health professionals and consultants find the right professional development resources on this site.WorkforceConsultation PracticeResource Crosswalk
• GuideConsultation in Action: Daily Experiences with a Mental Health Consultant in Home VisitingA collection of brief, authentic vignettes that bring to life the nuances of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Home Visiting, highlighting relationship-building, reflection, cultural humility, and the complex beauty of supporting families and home visitors alike.Consultation Practice
• Webinars and eventsConsulting about Challenging Behavior, the Role of Adult PerceptionChallenging behavior is developmentally expected for young children; however, adult perceptions influence our understanding and response. Through this perceptive process bias enters our evaluations which is documented in the language adults used to describe children’s behavior (e.g., defiant, willful). Participants in this session will gain understanding of the role and impact of adult perception in addressing young children’s challenging behaviors. Participants will become familiar with strategies and tools to confront their own biases and potentially biased practices and consider how to apply tools and strategies within consultative relationships.Equity
• BriefCreating Practice-Based Principles for Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation ServicesThrough a collaborative, consensus-building effort called a Delphi process, IECMHC expert stakeholders refined a set of ten practice-based principles for IECMHC, in addition to a definition for IECMHC and list of its primary goals. In lieu of a manualized approach, these ten principles are offered as an alternative measure of program fidelity to the essential elements of IECMHC, while also allowing for individualization across settings and communities.Consultation PracticeEvidence & Research
• GuideCurriculum Guidelines for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health ConsultationBuilding on the IECMHC Competencies, this resource helps programs develop training standards and content to build their MHC workforce. Specific domains, content areas, and training tools are outlined.WorkforceConsultation Practice
• HandoutDeep BreathingWorkforce
• GuideDesigning an IECMHC Program: Four Essential Building BlocksDesigning an IECMHC program is complicated and requires careful planning through a coordinated team of stakeholders. These two parallel resources simplify the design of IECMHC programs into four building blocks and provides guidance for how to explore each of these areas. A worksheet was created to help programs assess what has been completed and track progress.Program Structure
• ToolkitDeveloping and Implementing a Programwide Vision for Effective Mental Health ConsultationThis in-depth guide provides guidance and support for early childhood program administrators with respect to ensuring IECMHC in implemented in coordination with a wide vision for the center. It includes specific guidance on programmatic elements of IECMHC from hiring to supporting consultants.Program StructureWorkforce
• ReportDigging Deeper: De-Colonizing Our Understanding and Practice of Reflective Supervision Through a Racial Equity LensEquityWorkforce

• Programs and ModelsThe nuts and bolts of IECMHC service delivery and IECMHC program infrastructure: what you provide, to whom, where, and how, and how to pull it all together.
• WorkforceThe competencies, training, supervision, mentoring, and quality assurance systems needed to build a strong IECMHC workforce.
• EquityStrategies and information to help IECMHC programs and consultants reduce disparities and promote effective, nurturing caregiving for all children.
• Research and EvaluationThe research base for IECMHC and guidance on developing and effectively utilizing theories of change, logic models, evaluation plans, and other research tools to measure IECMHC program fidelity and impact.
• Policy and FinancingTools and knowledge to support financing and sustaining IECMHC efforts, including key policies/initiatives, creative funding streams, and tips for strategic communication.

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  Early Care and Education

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  Home Visiting

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  Early Intervention

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  Child Welfare

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  Pediatric Primary Care

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• Classroom ideas that hold big feelingsTeachers can use these classroom ideas right away. They cover emotions, friendship, problem solving, and handling disappointment.
• The IMH specialist suiteWhat infant mental health work is, what an IMH specialist does, and where to find specialized training.
• Five actions on maternal depressionFive actions for programs: identify families, train staff, use reflective supervision, connect families to care, and reduce stigma. Take them in order. The sequence is the intervention.