"Being a parent is hard and at one time or another, most of us need to turn to someone for support or informaiton. We want to understand what's going on with our child a little better. The bottom line is: the more resources there are to support the parents and caregivers, the better off the child is going to be." -Liz Pearce
Infant Mental Health
What is Infant Mental Health?
Infant Mental Health (IMH) is the mental health treatment of infant's ages 0 to 5 years old. Although infants and toddlers have a limited capacity for understanding the larger world around them, they are absolutely impacted by it. They also have little to no words to effectively communicate their thoughts, feelings, or emotions. All parents have to go on is what little words they have and their behavior. Parents/Caregivers can experience great difficulty understanding their child's behaviors and can feel at a complete loss as to how to most effectively deal with it. This can in turn lead to a feeling of being disconnected from their child. Every parent is doing the best they can with what they know how to do. There are so many parenting "manuals" out there that it can be overwhelming to sort through. IMH helps support parents/caregivers to increase their ability to more accurately read their child's cues/behaviors, opening up a deeper form of communication. It also helps parents/caregivers to discover new ways to support their child's development, gain new parenting skills, and most of all create a secure attachment with their child.
Below is a list of the following behaviors may indicate a problem that could benefit from the participation in Infant Mental Health Treatment:
Infants/Toddlers:
*Excessive or lack of crying
*Difficulty being soothed
*Not making developmental gains
*Shows little interest in sounds, sights, or touch
*Does not seek help or comfort from familiar adults
*Sudden behavioral changes
*Rejects or avoids playing with others
Preschool Aged Children:
*Excessive tantrums
*Difficulty self soothing
*Aggressiveness to self/others
*Withdrawn
*Fearful of others
*Sudden behavioral changes/ regression in behaviors (ie accidents after potty training etc)
*Excessive energy; difficulty following directions
*Communication delays
*Please note the above list in not a comprehensive one. If you have any further questions I am happy to do a free 30 minute consultation to determine if services would be appropriate for your infant.
Preparing your child for therapy:
-Talk with them prior to session to let them know that there will be no physical examination, shots, or any other procedure they may have experienced with the doctor/dentist.
-Let them know they are free to play with whatever toys are out.
-They will be asked a handful of questions, some of which may be difficult to talk about, they do not have to answer any of them if they do not want to.
-Let them know they can ask me questions as well.
-Showing them pictures of the building, my office and me ahead of time can help so myself and my office are somewhat familiar prior to meeting in person.
Helpful Links:
If you are interested in reading more about Infant Mental Health and/or would like to research resources regarding infants. Please see the following links:
www.waimh.org (World Association for Infant Mental Health: Association to promote research, knowledge, and care of infants. You can also find helpful articles and resources on their website.
http://zerotothree.org/ (National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families: Supports research, knowledge, and public policy.)
http://www.ctckids.org/ (Children's Therapy Center: Non-profit pediatric therapy program offering various forms of therapies to children 0-18 yrs old ranging from play groups, parent groups, occupational therapy and more.)
Infant Mental Health (IMH) is the mental health treatment of infant's ages 0 to 5 years old. Although infants and toddlers have a limited capacity for understanding the larger world around them, they are absolutely impacted by it. They also have little to no words to effectively communicate their thoughts, feelings, or emotions. All parents have to go on is what little words they have and their behavior. Parents/Caregivers can experience great difficulty understanding their child's behaviors and can feel at a complete loss as to how to most effectively deal with it. This can in turn lead to a feeling of being disconnected from their child. Every parent is doing the best they can with what they know how to do. There are so many parenting "manuals" out there that it can be overwhelming to sort through. IMH helps support parents/caregivers to increase their ability to more accurately read their child's cues/behaviors, opening up a deeper form of communication. It also helps parents/caregivers to discover new ways to support their child's development, gain new parenting skills, and most of all create a secure attachment with their child.
Below is a list of the following behaviors may indicate a problem that could benefit from the participation in Infant Mental Health Treatment:
Infants/Toddlers:
*Excessive or lack of crying
*Difficulty being soothed
*Not making developmental gains
*Shows little interest in sounds, sights, or touch
*Does not seek help or comfort from familiar adults
*Sudden behavioral changes
*Rejects or avoids playing with others
Preschool Aged Children:
*Excessive tantrums
*Difficulty self soothing
*Aggressiveness to self/others
*Withdrawn
*Fearful of others
*Sudden behavioral changes/ regression in behaviors (ie accidents after potty training etc)
*Excessive energy; difficulty following directions
*Communication delays
*Please note the above list in not a comprehensive one. If you have any further questions I am happy to do a free 30 minute consultation to determine if services would be appropriate for your infant.
Preparing your child for therapy:
-Talk with them prior to session to let them know that there will be no physical examination, shots, or any other procedure they may have experienced with the doctor/dentist.
-Let them know they are free to play with whatever toys are out.
-They will be asked a handful of questions, some of which may be difficult to talk about, they do not have to answer any of them if they do not want to.
-Let them know they can ask me questions as well.
-Showing them pictures of the building, my office and me ahead of time can help so myself and my office are somewhat familiar prior to meeting in person.
Helpful Links:
If you are interested in reading more about Infant Mental Health and/or would like to research resources regarding infants. Please see the following links:
www.waimh.org (World Association for Infant Mental Health: Association to promote research, knowledge, and care of infants. You can also find helpful articles and resources on their website.
http://zerotothree.org/ (National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families: Supports research, knowledge, and public policy.)
http://www.ctckids.org/ (Children's Therapy Center: Non-profit pediatric therapy program offering various forms of therapies to children 0-18 yrs old ranging from play groups, parent groups, occupational therapy and more.)
