Find the tool for your IECMHC needs
Our library holds 250+ free resources on IECMHC research and practice. Browse them below, or send us a tool, presentation, event, or paper to add.
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Webinars and eventsDiversity Pathways for Maryland’s IECMHC WorkforceWhile there has been increased attention on the importance of having a racially and culturally diverse workforce, much of the IECMHC workforce nationally are White women, and recruitment and retention of BIPOC staff is something many programs struggle to achieve. In this session, presenters will describe Maryland’s efforts to support and retain existing IECMHC staff and to expand and diversify the IECMHC workforce. Efforts to support existing staff include the creation of a universal onboarding series, development of statewide minimum salaries, and formation of a Black affinity group. Some of the methods implemented to diversify the workforce include the creation of internship pathways and expansion of what it means to be qualified for IECMHC positions in Maryland. Throughout the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on and share how they are already supporting the IECMHC workforce in their respective regions and ways in which they can expand their efforts. This presentation is geared towards IECMHC leaders and funders at the local and state levels. BriefDiversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children & FamiliesThe Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children, and Families (Tenets) are guiding principles created to encourage the infant mental health (IMH) field to intentionally and mindfully engage in standards of practice that promote and strive for a just and equitable society. Webinars and eventsDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Heart of the Consultative StanceInfant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is founded on the "Consultative Stance" which is centered on building, nourishing, and maintaining positive and responsive relationships with the adults we are directly working with and those (adults and children) who are indirectly impacted by our work. Participants will learn that by implementing all components of the Consultative Stance, you will be providing culturally responsive supports to better serve our families as outlined in the Diversity Informed Tenets. ReportEarly Childhood Consultation Partnership: Results across Three Statewide Random-Controlled EvaluationsExecutive Summary GuideEarly Childhood Mental Health ConsultationA monograph summarizing the May 1998 Roundtable on Mental Health Consultation Approaches for Programs/Systems Working with Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers and Their Families. This monograph broadens the discussion on mental health consultation. It presents approaches for early childhood programs, supports bringing consultation into early care and education settings, and shares how program administrators and practitioners think about promoting healthy development through consultation. GuideEarly Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) Guide: Standards, Rationale, and Guidance for the State of MarylandThis resource was developed in 2011 for the Maryland ECMH Project. An updated version is available on the CoE's Research & Evaluation page. We've included this earlier version as an example of how to structure a program manual. It includes (1) a clear set of program standards, (2) a rationale for each standard based on the current evidence base, (3) examples of self-assessment indicators for each standard, and (4) an appendix of forms that supports all aspects of IECMHC work. ToolkitEarly Childhood Mental Health Consultation: An Evaluation Tool Kit ReportEarly Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Brief Report of Adaptations in the Virtual Learning EnvironmentAppleTree Early Learning Public Charter Schools serve exclusively 3- and 4-year-olds in the District of Columbia and receive Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC). ECMHC at AppleTree has been guided by the Georgetown Model for School-Based ECMHC (Hunter et al., 2016) with consultation at AppleTree’s early learning campuses delivered at the programmatic, classroom, and individual student/family levels. ECMHC services were adapted to AppleTree’s virtual setting in March 2020 and during the 2020-2021 school year. This paper describes the core tenets of ECMHC, ECMH consultants core competencies, ECMHC adaptations in the virtual settings at AppleTree, identifies the central elements of in-person ECMHC that remained consistent during virtual learning, and presents key points for virtually adapting ECMHC. Webinars and eventsEquity in IECMHC: Lessons Learned, What’s Working, & Holding Hope for Providers, Children, & FamiliesIn 2020, the COE launched a Five-Part Webinar Series on Equity in IECMHC: How Did We Get Here? A panel of IECMHC leaders will engage in a cross-cultural dialogue that will look back on the 2020 series and examine equity in IECMHC in our nation's current context. The conversation will focus on lessons learned, what's working, and perspectives on holding hope for providers, and children and families from communities that have been historically and contemporarily marginalized. ReportEvaluation of Alameda County Behavioral Health Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Standards of Practice Training and Technical Assistance PilotAlameda County piloted standards of practice for its early childhood mental health consultants from 2016 to 2018. Within 6 months, classroom climate and children's self-regulation improved, and children's risk of expulsion went down. Consultants grew more confident over the year. ReportEvaluation of the Illinois Model of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation PilotExecutive Summary ReportExploring Culture, Race, and Ethnicity in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: The Role of the Consultative AlliancePeer-reviewed article
Core topics
For those who are ready to dig deeper than the IECMHC Basics, resources are clustered into the following five topic areas, which align with the core components of strong IECMHC programs and overall high-quality consultation services.
- 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.
What the research shows in each setting
Consultation works in more than classrooms. See what the research shows in each place young children are served.

Early Care and Education
See the evidence
Home Visiting
See the evidence
Early Intervention
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Child Welfare
See the evidence
Pediatric Primary Care
See the evidence
The full curriculum
We offer ten free, self-paced courses that run from defining the work to evaluating it. Anyone can take them, and you don't need an account.
- Strengthening Early Childhood ProgramsThis tutorial explains why mental health belongs in early childhood settings. It also shows what consultation changes in Head Start.
- Defining Early Childhood Mental Health ConsultationThis tutorial explains what consultation is and what it isn't. It also covers the consultant's role.
- The Effective Mental Health ConsultantThis tutorial covers who does this work and the competencies it takes. It also shows how to deliver high-quality services.
- Mastering the Consultative StanceThe consultative stance is what this work rests on. This tutorial shows how a consultant holds it in practice.
- Partnering with FamiliesThis tutorial treats family engagement as part of consultation practice. It covers how to set the stage for partnerships with families and how to strengthen them.
- Recognizing and Supporting Social Emotional DevelopmentThis tutorial covers social and emotional development from the first year through age five. It also covers risk factors and community referrals.
- Recognizing and Addressing TraumaThis tutorial explains trauma and how it affects young children. It covers the signs to watch for and the consultant's role.
- Developing a Vision and Strategic PlanThis tutorial shows how to turn a mental health vision into a program-level strategic plan and put it into practice.
- Implementing and Evaluating ECMHCThis tutorial covers job descriptions, hiring, contracts, workgroups, and continuous quality improvement.
- Cultural and Linguistic CompetenceThis tutorial looks at the cultural context of consultation and how to practice in a culturally responsive way.
Guides
Each guide gathers everything we've published on one subject into a single page you can read start to finish.
- 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.
Help us expand the evidence base
We're growing our resources and research, and we want to work with researchers.
Key topics of focus:
- The impact of IECMHC in Home Visiting, EI, and Child Welfare
- The ROI of IECMHC and impact on staff turnover, expulsion and suspension rates
- The effectiveness of IECMHC consultants from non-clinical backgrounds
Become a Center of Excellence and Attunify certified consultant
Train with the team that wrote the national IECMHC competencies.