Holistic and ecological approaches to mental health support have been identified by many as best-practice approaches for creating and sustaining well-being. Those who experience mental health challenges including, for example, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), often struggle to find adequate, sustainable and ongoing care from clinical…

When Coloradans get their ballots in the mail this fall, they could potentially vote on two measures that would have disastrous consequences for Colorado kids and families if passed. Initiatives 108 and 50 would dramatically limit the resources available for critical services and programs that support children and their families at the state and…

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a spotlight on telehealth as a mechanism for programs and professionals who provide direct services to young children and families to be able to continue essential supports and services. Providers, agencies, and insurance companies had to rapidly evolve in order to reach families and other caregivers in new ways. This…

Partnering With Parents, an infant mental health (IMH) intervention program at Starfish Family Services (SFS), is dedicated to improving social-emotional outcomes, supporting wellness, and strengthening relationships between infants and families. Families served by SFS experience a myriad of societal, community, and relational stressors that can…

This article describes a unique Australian infant mental health (IMH) service for families from pregnancy through to early parenthood (0-3 years) and training center for postgraduate clinical psychology students. The Australian Association for Infant Mental Health Incorporated, West Australia Branch (AAIMHI WA) "Competency Guidelines"®…

This article is excerpted from a chapter in "Finding Hope in Despair: Clinical Studies in Infant Mental Health" (edited by Marian Birch, published 2008 by ZERO TO THREE). Therapeutic intervention with children and families is not always successful, but the professional literature does not often address treatment failures. To address this need,…

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to highlight the benefits of collaboration in child focused mental health services research. Method: Three unique research projects are described. These projects address the mental health needs of vulnerable, urban, minority children and their families. In each one, service delivery was codesigned,…

This policy brief is the fifth of a series of analyses of Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data by CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy). It describes the picture for Head Start and Early Head Start children, families, and programs in the 2002-2003 program year. In this brief, "Head Start" refers to all Head Start programs, including…

This policy brief describes the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative, a policy designed to improve early childhood programs to ensure that all children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. The SECCS is intended to help states build a bridge from birth to school and addresses how states will support children and…

Continuous quality improvement efforts are vital to high-quality early intervention services. This article describes an ongoing quality improvement project within an infant mental health-based Early Head Start program. Both strategies and challenges in implementing issues and lessons learned in the initial 2-year phase of the quality improvement…

Describes a multiservice intervention program, Teaching Interpersonal Expertise to Strengthen Systems (TIES), that is designed to support efforts of Head Start children, families, and staff, and improve the access of these individuals to mental health services. (BB)

This report to the Minnesota state legislature describes the status of the local children's mental health collaboratives. These mental health collaboratives were established in response to the fragmented service delivery system. Counties, school districts, and local mental health entities became partners with public health, juvenile corrections,…

The family associate is a parent without professional mental health training who acts as a system guide to low-income families whose children have been referred to mental health services. Family associates in three counties in Oregon provide emotional support and information about mental health services and community resources and link them to…

This paper explains the interdisciplinary team concept blended with the family-centered approach in a psychiatric setting and applies the approach in a case study of a family with a child diagnosed with mental retardation, autism, and severe behavior problems. Practical suggestions for implementing such a family-centered/interdisciplinary team…

Services for people with mental retardation in the Netherlands are examined, with emphasis on normalization, placement options including group homes and institutionalization, guidance for families through the Social Pedological Service, and the care of mental illness in mentally retarded persons through special diagnostic and treatment centers.…