Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health

by Summers, Susan Janko, Ph.D.; Chazan-Cohen, Rachel, Ph.D.; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.

• ISBN13: 9781598570755
• ISBN10: 1598570757
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-10
• Publisher: Brookes Pub

Summary

Integrating infant mental health services into early education programs leads to better child outcomes and stronger parent¿child relationships. This accessible textbook provides early childhood professionals and programs clear answers to weaving best practices in mental health into their everyday work. Ideal for preservice university courses, in-service professional development, and program administrators, this introductory text combines the authoritative guidance of more than a dozen respected mental health and early childhood experts. Professionals will get a primer on infant mental health, strengthening their knowledge of key issues such as screening and assessment, attachment, emotional dysregulation and aggression, risk and resilience, maternal depression, and children¿s exposure to trauma. Then they¿ll get practical, research-based guidance they can use to recognize indicators of mental health problems in young children; promote parents¿ and caregivers¿ mental health; build on child and family strengths and mitigate risk factors; conduct sound program evaluations; and work effectively with outside mental health consultants. With this highly readable introduction to key mental health principles, the next generation of early childhood professionals will fully understand the latest research and best practice¿so they can support optimal caregiver-child relationships, enhance professional collaboration, and strengthen child development.

Table of Contents

About the Editors	p. vii
About the Contributors	p. ix
Foreword	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Partnerships and Pragmatics: Editor's Introduction	p. 1
Understanding Infant Mental Health: Development and Relationships	p. 11
Understanding Infant Mental Health	p. 13
The Challenging Child: Emotional Dysregulation and Aggression	p. 25
Maternal Depression	p. 41
Finding Family Strengths in the Midst of Adversity: Using Risk and Resilience Models to Promote Mental Health	p. 59
Exposure to Direct and Indirect Trauma	p. 79
Assessing Young Children's Social and Emotional Development	p. 99
Assessing Primary Caregiver Relationships	p. 125
Supporting Infant Mental Health: Intervention Strategies and Organizational Supports	p. 141
Promoting Infant Mental Health in Early Childhood Programs: Intervening with Parent-Child Dyads	p. 143
Intervening with Parents	p. 159
Infant Mental Health Consultation in Early Childhood Classrooms	p. 179
Reflective Supervision	p. 199
Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Staff	p. 217
Organizational Readiness	p. 227
Evaluating Infant Mental Health Programs	p. 241
Index	p. 265
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