Are you a child care provider or early childhood educator interested in receiving consultation?

What is Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation?

Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultation provides a collaborative and capacity-building service that pairs a mental health professional with early care and education providers to promote the social and emotional wellbeing of young children. IECMH consultation for early care and education settings is available for a limited time through the pilot program funded by Montana DPHHS.

IECMH consultation is not therapy. It is about supporting adults who support children.

“It may be most helpful to define the Infant Mental Health Specialist not as a member of a particular discipline, but rather as someone with a distinct set of core beliefs, skills, training experiences and clinical strategies who incorporates a comprehensive, intensive and relationship-based approach to working with young children and families(Michigan AIMH)

Consultation Services

IECMH consultants provide on-site coaching to assist child care providers with the skills to enhance early relational health for young children which can reduce disruptive behavior.

While funding is currently only supporting child care and early child education workforce, IECMH consultation can be provided in other sectors that support young families (e.g., Home Visiting, WIC, Child Welfare). Montana’s IECMH Advisory Council and workgroups are collaborating on strategies to build a sustainable system that can support early relational health across more programs.

Key Features and Benefits of IECMH Consultation

For the early childhood workforce, IECMH consultation can assist in:

  • Enhancing and strengthening the staff’s skills and confidence in supporting childhood social-emotional development.

  • Increasing staff capacity to respond to difficult behaviors and supporting the ability for children in their care to manage emotions and build positive relationships.

  • Promoting mental health awareness, prevention, early identification and referrals for treatment.

For child care providers:

  • Builds stronger communication skills for child care staff working with young children.

  • Fosters a positive culture that supports the well-being of providers, children, and families.

  • Strengthens relationships between adults and young children, as well as among peers.

  • Helps reduce disruptive and challenging behaviors in young children.

  • Decreases the likelihood of child suspension and expulsion.

  • Helps reduce staff stress and burnout.

Family Benefits from Consultation in Child Care:

  • Social-emotional learning by working toward creating capacity for infants and young children to experience, manage and express emotion in a healthy way.

  • Social-emotional learning happens through relationships with parents and other child caregivers, exploring and mastering their environments and sharing their feelings and experiences with caregivers and other children.

  • Positive childhood social-emotional learning during the rapid development between birth and age five. These relationship experiences influence the way children think, speak, learn and reason.

Learn More

Permission from the Georgetown Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation granted for the following videos:

What is IECMH Consultation

English version

Spanish version

Why is IECMH Consultation Effective

English version

Spanish version

Why IECMH Matters

English version

Spanish version

Still have questions before signing up for consultation?

Still have questions before signing up for consultation?