Early Childhood

Mental Health

Consultation

 

Lessons Learned From

A Pilot Project in Arkansas

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What is Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH)?What is Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation?Does ECMH Consultation work?Am I ready to provide ECMH Consultation?How do I provide ECMH Consultation?What tools can I use to provide ECMH Consultation?Additional Resources for Working with TeachersAdditional Resources for Working with ParentsGoing Beyond ECMH Consulation

 

DOES ECMH CONSULTATION WORK?

 

Evidence is emerging to suggest that ECMHC is a promising approach to building teachers’ skills and supporting children’s healthy social and emotional development.  Recent studies suggest that ECMHC can help improve children’s classroom behaviors and reduce rates of preschool expulsion.  Others have shown that ECMHC can help teachers create a more positive classroom climate and use more appropriate behavioral management strategies.  However, there is still much that we don’t know about ECMHC and its impact on classrooms, teachers, children and families, and research in this area continues.  You can learn more about recent research findings on ECMHC from the articles listed below.

 Alkon, A., M. Ramler, et al. (2003). "Evaluation of Mental Health Consultation in Child Care Centers." Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(2): 91-99.

Brennan, E. M., J. R. Bradley, et al. (2008). "The Evidence Base for Mental Health Consultation in Early Childhood Settings: Research Synthesis Addressing Staff and Program Outcomes." Early Education & Development, 19: 982-1022.

Green, B. L., M. Everheart, et al. (2006). "Characteristics of effective mental health consultation in early childhood settings." Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 26(3): 142-152.

Perry, D. F., M. C. Dunne, et al. (2008). "Reducing the Risk for Preschool Expulsion: Mental Health Consultation for Young Children with Challenging Behaviors." Journal of Child and Family Studies, 17: 44-54.

Raver, C. C., S. M. Jones, et al. (2008). "Improving preschool classroom processes: Preliminary findings from a randomized trial implemented in Head Start settings."Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23: 10-26.

Williford, A. P. and T. L. Shelton (2008). "Using mental health consultation to decrease disruptive behaviors in preschoolers: adapting an empirically supported intervention." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 49(2): 191-200.

What Works?

A Study of Effective

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs

This report, available on the Georgetown University, Center for Child and Human Development website, includes the Arkansas ECMH Consultation Pilot Project as an “Additional ECMHC Program of Note,” with a discussion of promising evaluation results: “The consultation services were associated with positive changes in both the teachers and the children served in the intervention sites.” (Appendix A)

 

This Georgetown report was designed to help communities and states interested in data-driven guidance for the development of ECMH consultation programs.

“Through in-depth site visits to six consultation programs demonstrating positive child, family, staff and/or program outcomes, this study explores the following key questions:

  1. What are the essential components of effective mental health consultation programs?

  2. What are the skills, competencies, and credentials of effective consultants?

  3. What are the training, supervision and support needs of consultants?

  4. What level of intervention intensity (i.e., frequency and duration) is needed to produce good outcomes?

  5. Which outcomes should be targeted and how should they be measured?

Read More --> http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/78358.html