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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HandoutTalk Back To Your Unhelpful ThoughtsA two-page handout that names common unhelpful thinking patterns and gives a way to challenge each one. CourseBeyond the 101: Providing IECMHC to Infant and Toddler CaregiversIn this e-learning module, we will explore the needed shifts in thinking and perspective when providing IECMHC in settings serving primarily infants and toddlers. Presenters and participants will explore differences in: relating to children; routines and transitions; high quality care; engaging families; curriculum; and the teachers’ sense of themselves as professionals. GuideIdeas for Teaching Children about Emotions, Disappointment, Friendship, and Problem SolvingThe strategies are organized by the type of skill that would be targeted when using the strategy: emotions, friendship skills, problem solving, and handling anger and other difficult emotions. Self-assessmentEarly Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program Needs Assessment SurveysNeeds assessment surveys for early childhood mental health consultation programs, developed by Beth Green and Mary Dallas Allen. CourseBeyond the 101: Family Engagement in IECMHCThis webinar will highlight the family engagement framework developed by the Office of Head Start Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement. The webinar shows how IECMH consultants can strengthen family engagement in early care and education programs. Participants will be introduced to the on-line modules related to IECMHC and family engagement and will have opportunities to ask questions and explore challenges related to engaging families. GuideInfant Mental Health Specialists and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation HandoutMy First Year and Discovering Feelings BooksTwo booklets for parents and providers: My First Year follows a baby’s milestones from birth to 12 months, and Discovering Feelings helps adults name a young child’s feelings. The consultant’s notes show how to walk caregivers through each booklet in a session of about an hour. HandoutPosters to Increase Positive Social-Emotional InteractionsPrint these posters for classrooms and for families. They encourage positive social-emotional interactions with young children. Webinars and eventsCOVID-19 and IECMHC: How to Provide Services When Everything is Different GuideFive Action Steps to Address Maternal Depression in Head Start ProgramsHead Start programs can take five steps on maternal depression. They run from screening families to reducing stigma. This set also has posters for mothers, families, and providers. GuidePartner and field links GuideGlossaryDefinitions of key terms used in infant and early childhood mental health consultation.
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
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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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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
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Train with the team that wrote the national IECMHC competencies.