Whether you’re a parent, therapist, or caregiver, one thing is for sure: a child’s first relationships matter. Speaking of firsts, on September 16th, 2019, the first Early Childhood Mental Health Community of Practice took place on Nebraska Innovation Campus. This program was co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska Center on Children, Families and the Law, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Psychology.
77 mental health and early childhood professionals attended from across Nebraska and Iowa, including Sami Bradley with Rooted in Relationships at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, who assisted to plan and present at the event. The planning committee also included representatives from Options in Psychology, Child Savings Institute, Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Woodhaven Counseling, Inc and the University of Iowa.
Infant and early childhood mental health, or ECMH refer to the quality of a child’s first and early relationships and social and emotional development.
Certain key factors include a child’s ability to experience warm and responsive relationships with caregivers, create relationships with others, explore and learn, communicate in play, and express and regulate emotion.
The event supported some evidence based-modalities, including Child-Parent Psychology and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, in addition to a list of special topics.
Luckily, this first event won’t be the last. Next year’s Early Childhood Mental Health Community of Practice is scheduled for September 14th, 2020, so mark your calendar! If you are interested in early childhood mental health, consider joining Nebraska Association for Infant Mental Health to stay up to date on the latest in Nebraska! www.neinfantmentalhealth.org
Nebraska Children's mission is to maximize the potential of Nebraska’s children, youth, and families through collaboration and community-centered impact.
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