Rather than providing therapy directly to an individual child or family, IECMH consultation is a preventive, relationship-based approach that can be integrated within any sector of the early childhood system. A mental health professional partners with early childhood professionals to strengthen their ability to understand children’s behavior, respond to their needs consistently and promote healthy social and emotional development and strengthen overall mental health and wellness.
IECMH consultation is most commonly associated with child care settings and early learning programs. In these settings, IECMH consultation has been proven to help providers and caregivers address children’s behaviors that they find challenging and create more supportive and nurturing environments for young children and caregivers. Increasingly, IECMHC is expanding into the many systems that touch the lives of babies, young children and families, including:
Developed by ZERO TO THREE, these resources provide practical tools and guidance to help professionals understand, build and strengthen infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) programs and systems.
Understand the foundations and potential of IECMH consultation.
Use this interactive tool to estimate the cost of providing IECMH consultation. Customize program details to compare scenarios and support planning and budgeting.
A helpful resource to identify the knowledge, skills and experiences that make IECMH providers feel informed and prepared.
Babies and young children develop within relationships. IECMH consultation recognizes that supporting their mental health also means supporting the adults, programs and systems around them. By strengthening professionals’ capacity to understand and respond consistently to young children’s social and emotional needs, IECMHC can help create environments where children, families and the people who serve them can thrive.
Embedding IECMH consultation into state and federal policy supports the infrastructure and sustainability of state, regional and local IECMHC programs and the critical workforce required to provide quality services.
IECMH Consultation is one important element of the full IECMH continuum of services that spans promotion, prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment. IECMH is the foundation to young babies’ healthy development, learning and relationships. Our ZTT IECMH Guiding Principles were created to enhance the understanding and application of infant early childhood mental health principles in practice and policy.
Our IECMH Policy page explores how policies, systems, and services can support the mental health and well-being of babies, young toddlers, and their caregivers.
By exploring the page, you’ll learn:
Find tools, resources, training and technical assistance to support high-quality IECMH consultation programs and systems.
