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Welcome to the third edition of the Head Start Mental Health electronic newsletter. The Newsletter provides an introduction to new resources on child mental health, and also highlights new or unusual materials available from familiar sources, such as through the Mental Health Tool Kit on the Head Start Information and Publication Center Web site. The Newsletter's purpose is to identify resources that will assist T and TA providers, Head Start managers, staff, parents and consultants who have responsibilities related to mental health services in Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS).
In this issue:
NEW RESOURCES
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a national center focused on strengthening the capacity of Child Care and Head Start to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children. The Center is jointly funded by the Head Start Bureau and Child Care Bureau, under the auspices of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Center will develop and disseminate evidence-based, user-friendly information to help early childhood educators meet the needs of the growing number of children with challenging behaviors and mental health needs in Child Care and Head Start programs.
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning will:
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a multi-university, multi-organization collaboration of the:
For more information, visit the Center's Web site at: http://csefel.uiuc.edu/
“Blueprint for Change: Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Health” summarizes findings and recommendations for future research by the Child Council Workgroup on Intervention Development and Deployment, established by the National Advisory Mental Health Council. The report identifies areas of research that can be translated into intervention development for children and adolescents with a range of mental health problems. It also identifies ways to deploy intervention into different practice settings, with focus on training, cultural differences, and family and community involvement. An executive summary also is available.
Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health is published! The two-volume set considers the mental health of children in a developmental context, presenting information on early recognition and intervention for specific mental health problems and mental disorders, and providing a tool kit with hands-on tools for health professionals and families for use in screening, care management, and health education.
Copies of a recent issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal (Volume 22, Number 5, September-October 2001) are available for purchase from the Head Start Information and Publication Center. This issue includes the following articles: “Mother-Child Interaction and Sleep Regulation in One-Year-Olds;” “Prenatal Maternal Representations: Mothers at Psychosocial Risk;” “Infant Temperament, Pleasure in Parenting, and Marital Happiness in Adoptive Families.” $10.00 per copy. To order, call (866) 763-6481, or by e-mail: puborder@headstartinfo.org.
The Infant Mental Health Initiative for the Head Start Bureau, a follow-up initiative to the Infant Mental Health Forum, is focusing on improving the quality and availability of comprehensive mental health supports for infants, toddlers and their families served in Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and their community and early care and education partners.
The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development's Technical Center for Children's Mental Health announces 2002 technical assistance conference calls, to include an early childhood series.
The following are journal articles that were suggested background reading for the Infant Mental Health Task force Meeting held September 25-26, 2001.
Emde, Robert and Tammy Mann and Judith Bertacchi. “Organizational Environments That Support Mental Health.” Zero to Three August/September (2001): 67-69.Graham, Mimi A. and Barbara A. White and Carrie C. Clarke and Sandra
Adams. “Infusing Infant Mental Health Practices into Front-Line Caregiving.”
Infants and Young Children vol. 14, no. 1 (2001): 14-23.
Creating
healthy emotional attachments with primary caregivers is the core
component of infant mental health. Basic principles include strengthening
the caregiver-child relationship through focusing on the importance
of human touch and proximity to the caregiver; responsive caregiving;
continuity of care; and emotional nurturance and comfort. Child care,
home visiting, early intervention, and the judicial system are areas
in which these concepts can be incorporated into everyday practice.
Pawl, Jeree. “The Therapeutic Relationship as Human Connectedness:
Being Held in Another's Mind.” Zero to Three vol. 15,
no. 4 February/March (1995): 2-5.
An essay
excerpted from the opening plenary session of Zero to Three's Ninth
National Training Institute, December, 1994. Stresses the importance
of babies developing a sense that they exist in their caregivers'
minds. Caregivers create this sense through continual surveillance
of the child, and by holding the child in continual existence in their
minds. Awareness of this state becomes a crucial component of a child's
internal sense of human connectedness, which is a substrate of development
of mutual concern. The experience of existing in someone's mind is
equally important for adult parents, fostering their ability to care,
in positive ways, for their children and themselves.
Samartin, Cecilia and Sherrie Segovia and Marta Schmidt-Mendez and
Araceli Campos and Veronica Escamilla. “Infant Mental Health at Hope
Street is Everybody's Business.” Zero to Three August/September
(2001): 59-62.
An infant
mental health perspective is part of all aspects of the Hope Street
Family Center's Early Head Start program. An ecological approach promotes
family wellness, starting with an attempt to understand the infant
within the context of family, community, and culture. Culturally sensitive
interventions center on the relationship between baby and primary
caregiver, and are designed to address specific individual and family
needs.
Weatherston, Deborah. “Infant Mental Health: A Review of Relevant
Literature.” Psychoanalytic Social Work vol.8, no. 1
(2001): 39-69.
An overview
of recent literature discussing the basis and rationale for infant
mental health services, which are designed to reduce social and emotional
disturbances in infancy and early parenthood. The fundamentals of
infant mental health practice are discussed in reviewed literature
on psychoanalytic, attachment, social, contextual, and developmental
theories, including the work of Donald Winnicott and Daniel Stern.
Psychotherapeutic change in early parenthood and attachment security
in early infancy are influenced by infant mental health practice.
Weatherston, Deborah. “The Infant Mental Health Specialist.” Zero
to Three October/November (2000): 3-10.
Discusses
the beliefs, skills, and clinical strategies of Infant Mental Health
specialists, and contains an overview of Infant Mental Health services.
Includes guidance on addressing the emotional experience and needs
of infants, toddlers, and families, and provides principles of Infant
Mental Health consultation.
Zeanah, Charles and Paula Doyle Zeanah. “Towards a Definition of
Infant Mental Health.” Zero to Three August/September
(2001): 13-20.
This essay
proposes a definition of infant mental health as a characteristic
of infants, and also as a field of inquiry and practice. Reviews and
highlights the unique concerns of infant mental health, including
context, and process and content, of infant development; risk and
protective factors; infant psychopathology; and social competence
and resilience.
Exploring 21st Century Parenting, which will offer extensive coverage of preschool and family social/emotional issues, is in development and will be distributed to all Head Start grantees nationwide. For more information, contact the HSIPC Librarian at tomm@headstartinfo.org.
Build your mental health resource collection with Head Start Bureau materials distributed by the HSIPC. A complete list with descriptions is available on the HSIPC Web site.
Use the Mental Health Toolkit to locate State contacts, advocacy and policy organizations, and resources on promising practices for early childhood mental health.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL)
What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health (National Mental Health Association)
About Our Kids, a component of the New York University Child Study Center, provides general information on parenting, as well as prevention and treatment of childhood mental disorders.
Publications include:
The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) Resource Exchange (NREx) provides numerous materials that support child mental health programs, including:
After the Disaster: A Children's Mental Health Checklist is available from the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Center for Mental Health Services.
The Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign began as a national public information and education campaign to increase public awareness about the importance of protecting and nurturing the mental health of young people; foster recognition that many children have mental health problems that are real, painful, and sometimes severe; and encourage caregivers to seek early, appropriate treatment and services. The Campaign also offers a screensaver available in either Spanish or English, to promote public awareness of children's mental health.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health resource guide, now available from the National Institute of Mental Health, includes materials for the public, practitioners, and researchers.
Child Behavior Disorders resource guide is available through the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINEplus. It includes news, diagnosis/symptoms, research, and organizations.
Emotional Disturbance is a fact sheet providing current definitions and information on incidence, characteristics, educational implications, and other considerations when providing care for children with emotional disturbance. Issued by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.
Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children with Mental Health Needs, issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, includes values and principles of systems of care; finding services; preparing for the first visit; partnering with providers; and rights and responsibilities. Also available in Spanish.
The Pocket Guide to Mental Health Resources is a directory of national toll-free help lines, State mental health agencies, State protection and advocacy agencies, and mental health resources by topic. Compiled by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services.
Promising Practices in Children's Mental Health is a part of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, Center for Mental Health Services. A 2001 publication series on what is working for children with serious emotional disturbance in systems of care is available. The series includes: Wraparound: Stories from the Field; Learning from Families: Identifying Service Strategies for Success; Promising Practices in Early Childhood Mental Health.
The purpose of the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health is to improve services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disabilities (SED) and their families by strengthening the knowledge base for effective services and systems of care. The Center is seeking to achieve this mission through an integrated set of research, training, and dissemination activities. The Center is jointly funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the Center for Mental Health Services.
Cohen, Elena and Roxane Kaufmann. Early Childhood Mental Health
Consultation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center
for Mental Health Services, 2000.
Early
education and child care professionals, family members, mental health
practitioners and administrators, and Federal, State, and community
agency representatives share state-of-the-art thinking on using mental
health consultation to promote healthy development among infants,
toddlers, and preschool-age children in early childhood settings.
Describes an early childhood mental health perspective, defines types
of mental health consultation, and provides examples of the essential
features of consultation, including challenges and strategies in the
consulting process. Available for purchase from the National
Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health.
Koplewicz, Harold and Robin F. Goodman. Childhood Revealed:
Art Expressing Pain, Discovery & Hope. Harry N. Abrams,
1999.
Compiled
by the New York University Child Study Center, this book contains
over 100 artworks created by children and reflecting coping mechanisms
for problems including depression, divorce, learning differences,
illness, and abuse. Health professionals provide commentary on treatment
and prognosis for the disorders depicted, and the child artists themselves
contribute their personal perspectives.
Solchany, JoAnne, RN, Ph.D. Promoting Maternal Mental Health
During Pregnancy. University of Washington, 2001.
Discusses
a woman's psychological and emotional health during pregnancy. Includes
normal, typical pregnancies; high-risk pregnancies; domestic violence;
pregnant women with unresolved grief or loss; and women experiencing
depression or other mental health disruptions. Also addresses issues
of parent-child bonding and attachment; infant brain development;
and the role of caregiving in a child's emotional and cognitive development.
Wischman, Amy and Donald Kates and Roxane Kaufmann. Funding
Early Childhood Mental Health Services and Supports. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services,
2001.
A workbook
designed to help States, communities and programs navigate some of
the Federal programs and tax provisions that are directed at or provide
benefit to children and families. Contains a matrix listing a range
of early childhood mental health services and supports and a list
of potential financing resources. This matrix can be used by teams
to inventory existing services and resources, identify gaps, duplication,
or other relevant issues. Full text available on-line in PDF format or HTML. Also available for purchase from the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health.
Zeanah, Charles H. Handbook of Infant Mental Health
(Second Edition). Guilford Press, 2000.
Leaders
in the infant mental health field discuss similarities and differences
between infants and older children; understanding infants within developmental
contexts; and the caregiving context of infancy for assessment, treatment,
and prediction of future development. Addresses context of infant
mental health, risk and protective factors, assessment, psychopathology,
intervention, and applications of infant mental health.
ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Web site: http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Boyce, Cheryl A. and Kimberly Hoagwood and Michael L. Lopez and Louisa B. Tarullo. “The Head Start Mental Health Research Consortium: New Directions for Research Partnerships.” Behavioral Disorders vol. 26, no. 1 (November 2000): 7 - 12.Burns, Barbara J. “Commentary on the Special Issue on the National
Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for
Children and Their Families Program.” Journal of Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders vol. 9, no. 3 (Spring 2001): 71-76.
This
commentary summarizes findings from previous articles on system-of-care
mental health programs for children and adolescents with emotional
and behavioral disorders. It addresses characteristics of participating
children and families, system measurement, system development, costs
and sustainability, and family participation in program evaluation.
Future directions for program evaluation are discussed. ERIC_NO: EJ623148.
Harden, Brenda Jones. “Head Start and Mental Health: A Fertile Field
for Practice and Research.” Early Education and Development
vol. 11, no. 3 (May 2000): 243 - 46.
Introduces
this special issue on mental health and Head Start. Presents a rationale
for exploring mental health issues in Head Start children. Notes that
the Head Start program presents a unique opportunity to expand the
knowledge base regarding the prevalence of mental health problems
and the factors contributing to emotional functioning among preschoolers
from impoverished backgrounds. ERIC_NO: EJ606970.
Heffron, Mary Claire. “Clarifying Concepts of Infant Mental Health–Promotion,
Relationship-Based Preventive Intervention, and Treatment.” Infants
and Young Children vol. 12, no. 4 (April 2000): 14 - 21.
This
article discusses the confusion, inaccuracies, and misperceptions
arising from the term “infant mental health,” and proposes a framework
for the use of the term. This framework sets out a language and clear
distinctions among the categories of promotion, relationship-based
preventive intervention, and treatment. ERIC_NO: EJ605009.
Holden, E. Wayne and Robert M. Friedman and Rolando L. Santiago.
“Overview of the National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community
Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program.” Journal
of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders vol. 9, no.1 (Spring
2001): 4 - 12.
This
introductory article provides an overview of the national evaluation
conducted within the original 22 grantee communities funded from 1993
to 1999. The history and underlying foundations of the evaluation
are presented. Specific evaluation questions and components are outlined,
and issues that evolved out of the evaluation process are discussed.
ERIC_NO: EJ623142.
Lopez, Michael L. and Louisa B. Tarullo and Steven R. Forness and
Cheryl A. Boyce. “Early Identification and Intervention: Head Start's
Response to Mental Health Challenges.” Early Education and Development
vol. 11, no. 3 (May 2000): 265 - 82.
Examines
the prevalence, developmental course, and predictive power of child
mental health problems for young children in general and low-income,
diverse populations in particular. Notes discrepancies between Head
Start agency-level data, national estimates, and intensive studies
of similar populations. Describes new collaborative Federal initiatives
to increase understanding of mental health problems in Head Start
children. ERIC_NO: EJ606972.
Payton, John W. and Dana M. Wardlaw and Patricia A. Graczyk, et al.
“Social and Emotional Learning: A Framework for Promoting Mental Health
and Reducing Risk Behavior in Children and Youth.” Journal of
School Health vol. 70, no. 5 (May 2000): 179 - 85.
Describes
selection criteria based on theory, research, and best educational
practice that identify key social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies
and program features for promoting students' mental health and reducing
risk behaviors. Program features critical to the success of school-based
SEL programs emphasize curriculum design, coordination with larger
systems, educator preparation and support, and program evaluation.
ERIC_NO: EJ609031.
Sherwood-Puzzello, Catherine M. and Deborah F. Perry and Sharon A.
Wilkerson and Azar Hadadian. “Infant Mental Health Training Needs
of Service Providers in Early Intervention Programs.” Infant-Toddler
Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal vol. 10, no. 4
(December 2000): 205 - 14.
To assess
the needs of early intervention teams, 627 direct care providers were
surveyed. Four domains of infant mental health were explored: attachment,
behavior, stress/coping, and regulation/adaptation. Differences in
comfort with those domains were found among the providers based on
professional training as well as years of experience. ERIC_NO: EJ626362.
Vacca, John and Edward Feinberg. “Rules of Engagement: Initiating
and Sustaining a Relationship with Families Who Have Mental Health
Disorders.” Infants and Young Children vol. 13, no.
2 (October 2000): 51 - 57.
This
article discusses how clinicians can work with parents of young children
with disabilities who may themselves have mental health disorders.
Recommendations are provided for an initial approach to parents with
mental health challenges, referral to psychiatric personnel, establishing
trust and rapport, and sustaining a relationship with parents with
mental health disorders. ERIC_NO: EJ616383.
Yoshikawa, Hirokazu and Edward Zigler. “Mental Health in Head Start:
New Directions for the Twenty-First Century.” Early Education
and Development vol. 11, no. 3 (May 2000): 247 - 64.
Explores
why mental health has been a contested issue in Head Start and describes
recent efforts to bring mental health closer to the center of the
program agenda. Describes areas of challenge and innovation that might
further the program goal of improving the well-being of parents and
children in poverty. Concludes with recommendations for program practice
and research. ERIC_NO: EJ606971.
The following organizations provide resources that may be useful to parents, caregivers, and administrators helping children and youth still dealing with the tragic events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
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