HEAD START MENTAL HEALTH
ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER

Welcome to the first edition of the Head Start Mental Health Newsletter. The Newsletter will provide a sample of the information available on-line through the Mental Health Toolkit on the Head Start Information and Publication Center Website (http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/mentalhealth/mh_tkbok.htm). The Newsletter will introduce to you, and then periodically remind you of, the Toolkit resources available on-line for Head Start managers, staff, parents and consultants who have responsibilities related to mental health services in EHS and HS.

If you would like to send this newsletter to a colleague, send us their e-mail address.

For future issues, we are considering offering this newsletter on the Web, in downloadable format, with an archives section of back issues, and a search tool. If you are interested in this version, please let us know. Your feedback is valuable to us.

In this issue:

• Have you learned the "Lessons from the Field" a publication from NCCP
  
  
• "A Good Beginning": New NIMH monograph on early social/ emotional competence
  
  
• Technical Assistance. Dealing with Disruptive Behaviors in the classroom
  An Interview with Alice Eberhart-Wright of Region VII QIC
  
  
• "Neurons to Neighborhoods:The Science of Early Childhood Development"
  A new publication from the National Academy of Science
  
  
• Surgeon General's Report on Children's Mental Health
  
  
• The "FYI" Library provides mental health facts

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"Lessons from the Field: Head Start Mental Health Strategies to Meet Changing Needs" initiated in 1994, presents strategies used in Head Start programs to address the mental health needs of Head Start children, families, and staff. If you're new to Head Start, "Lessons from the Field" is an important resource that focuses on dialogues among Head Start programs where difficult mental health related issues are opened up and discussed. Mental health services are seen as broader than simply psychotherapy; they must involve parents, help special needs children to integrate into the classroom, collaborate with community leaders and program staff. The range of services has to include a system for providing technical assistance to develop innovative strategies. The authors suggest that this report will be useful to program directors, mental health coordinators and consultants.
Some important recommendations that are elaborated upon in the report include:

·Integrate a mental health perspective into all parts of the Head Start Program.

·Empower and support staff while building their mental health expertise.

·Be sensitive to the community and cultural meanings of Mental Health.

·Tailor screening assessments and service strategies to levels of need.

·Develop community connections to enhance strategic mental health initiatives.

·Include mental health in the regional offices in training and technical assistance.

·Develop statewide collaborations for mental health in Head Start.

·Provide strong national leadership.

·Support mental health-related research efforts.

To read to entire report on-line, visit: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nccp/lessons.html
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"A Good Beginning: Sending America's Children to School with the Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed."

This monograph from the Foundation and Agencies Network at NIMH summarizes the research on the social and emotional risk and protective factors that predict early school outcomes. It analyzes the federal policies that seek to improve these outcomes and explores the existing gaps between research and practice. Recommendations for change are made. Some of the risk factors identified include cognitive deficits, early behavior problems, parental psychological problems, problematic parenting, and difficulties with peers and teachers. It is possible to plan thoughtful interventions based on our current knowledge base.

For more, visit: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/childhp/monograph.pdf
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"Interview with Alice Eberhart Wright"

Alice Eberhart-Wright is an Infant-Family Specialist at the Region VII

Q. How do you see the role of the teacher when dealing with infant mental health issues?

A. I feel that the teacher is critically important in dealing with children's mental health issues. Everything that the teacher does relates to mental health. It is the relationship that the teacher and young child forms that is the secure base for that child. Teachers have to be helped to learn how to work with the parents. When a baby is brought to the center or picked up at the end of the day, the teacher has to be a bridge between that parent and child. The teacher has to help them to connect to each other every day. This requires really understanding the developmental stages and understanding how to address the individual needs of the child. The concepts of "Ask, Watch and Adapt" are useful in being responsive to the changing needs of babies.

Q. What are some of the problem behaviors that you have observed in the classroom that you thought needed a mental health intervention?

A. Much of the behavior that we see in toddlers can be perceived as problematic by teachers. Tantruming, oppositional behavior, aggressive behavior such as biting and extremely active behavior are all on a continuum between normal and problematic. How the teacher handles this behavior can either turn the interactions into something constructive or it can exacerbate the problem. Attachment theory is relevant when dealing with young children. Children should be able to discriminate important people in their lives by as young as
6-7 months. Other common problems related to crying, eating and sleeping may in fact be regulatory disorders and require a more sophisticated intervention. A child may have a relationship problem with a mother who is either depressed or inconsistent. It is important to be able to sort out what is biologically based and what is relationship based.
My principle philosophy in dealing with children with emotional difficulties is to really watch and try to understand the meaning of their behavior. Then, the teacher must deal with the child positively rather than punitively.

Q. Can you give us an example?

A. There was once a little boy in my center who tore everything apart, including doorknobs, cubbies, etc. The first reaction of the day care center was to consider another service option since he was destroying everything and he could barely be contained in the center. The staff then made a home visit and found that his father had serious mental problems. He made the children sit on the couch from the time that he got home from school until he was put in bed. Over the child's bed was a gun hanging there to remind him that if he got out of bed, his father would shoot him. It would have been such a disaster for this child if the teacher had just started disciplining and punishing him without understanding where this behavior was coming from. As a result of the home visit, a treatment intervention plan was devised and the father was hospitalized. The teachers were also able to design a classroom intervention to help this child deal with his overwhelming anxiety. The teachers could then understand his need to take things apart as a means of feeling in control. They got broken appliances and set up a corner where he could fix the broken things and learn to master his feelings.

Q. What kind of training do you think would help teachers deal with mental health issues?

A. Teachers need to find courses that focus on child development so that they really understand normal development. It is crucial for infant toddler teachers to understand that the curriculum for babies is not the same as working with preschoolers. Teachers need to learn how to work with and support parents in their relationship with their children. They need to arrange and use regular reflective supervision.

Have you met your QIC/QIC-D specialists? They are your resource for mental health training and technical assistance.

Find information on your QIC/QIC-D contacts at:

QIC - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/contacts/qic.htm

QIC-D - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/contacts/dsqicpro.htm
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"From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development"

This recently published report of the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development addresses questions such as: What impact does child care have on a child's development? What lasting toll does family stress have on a child? What are the most important known influences on early brain development? Can early intervention alter the course of early development for the better? What role do parents really play in the earliest years of life?

For more, visit: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9824.html
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Surgeon General's Report - "National Action Agenda on Children's Mental Health"

This new report issued by the Surgeon General's office reports that 1 in 10 children and adolescents suffer from significant mental health problems that require intervention. This report identifies eight goals and multiple action steps designed to reduce the stigma of accessing mental services and improving the assessment and recognition of mental health needs in children.

To read the whole report, visit: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/cmh/
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On the Links

The Head Start MH ToolKit can help you find websites with useful information on mental health topics.

For example, visit the "CONCERN - Employee Assistance Program Fact Sheet Library" covering issues confronting people as they try to establish a balance between work and home. Examples of topics covered, include: Adult Children with Aging Parents, Dealing with Difficult People, Helping Children Cope with Divorce, Listening Effectively, and Recognizing and Reducing Stress.

To visit the CONCERN site, visit: http://www.concern-eap.com/

For additional links on this topic visit the "Workplace Mental Health" section of the Head Start Mental Health ToolKit at: http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/mentalhealth/mh_workplace.htm

If you have a favorite mental health website that you would like us to consider including in the Head Start Mental Health ToolKit, please send it to us at: nanettel@headstartinfo.org

For comments or questions, please contact us at nanettel@headstartinfo.org