Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health
Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health
A Practical Guide for Professionals
Authors: Susan Janko Summers, Ph.D., Rachel Chazan-Cohen, Ph.D.
Early Childhood
An easily accessible guidebook that presents effective strategies to integrate mental health services in early childhood programs and work in partnership with families to enhance young children's mental health.
| Paperback US$ 49.95 Qty: Add to Cart |
| STOCK NUMBER | ISBN |
|---|---|
| 70755 | 978-1-59857-075-5 |
| COPYRIGHT | PAGES |
| 2012 | 296 |
Integrating infant mental health services into early education programs leads to better child outcomes and stronger parent–child relationships—the big question is how to do it appropriately and effectively. Clear answers are in this accessible textbook, created to prepare early childhood professionals and programs to weave best practices in mental health into their everyday work.
Ideal for preservice university courses, in-service professional development, and program administrators, this introductory text combines the authoritative guidance of more than a dozen respected mental health and early childhood experts. Professionals will get a primer on infant mental health, strengthening their knowledge of key issues such as screening and assessment, attachment, emotional dysregulation and aggression, risk and resilience, maternal depression, and children's exposure to trauma. Then they'll get practical, research-based guidance they can use to
- recognize indicators of mental health problems in very young children, including emotional dysregulation and behavioral and developmental changes
- promote parents' and caregivers' mental health through direct and indirect supports, including regular mental health screening, community partnerships with mental health providers, and parent education
- build on child and family strengths and mitigate risk factors such as poverty and violence
- strengthen parent–child relationships and interactions through play and effective caregiving routines
- maintain their own mental health, building positive relationships with co-workers and reducing the effects of compassion fatigue and secondary stress
- participate in reflective supervision to sharpen their ability to think critically and solve problems
- conduct sound program evaluation that includes the input of families, staff, and the surrounding culture and community
- work effectively with outside mental health consultants when child and family needs extend beyond the program's scope
With this highly readable introduction to key mental health principles, the next generation of early childhood professionals will fully understand the latest research and best practice—so they can support optimal caregiver-child relationships, enhance professional collaboration, and strengthen child development.
Reviews
: The Midwest Book Review, Psychology Shelf - April 3, 2012
"When the mind is forming and learning, it is the most vulnerable. Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health is a guide for pediatricians and other health workers on understanding the mind of an infant and toddler and understanding the indicators of early mental health issues in children, as well as issues that parents face, fatigue, and much more. An important topic that isn't spoke often, Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health is a choice and recommended pick for health and psychology collections."
Dorothy Richardson, Director, UMass Boston Infant Parent Mental Health Program - September 26, 2011
"Provides a solid grounding for educators and mental health practitioners alike in the science of infant mental health and the necessity of relationship-based interventions."
Jane Hochman, Self-Employed Consultant, Policy and Planning in Early intervention and Infant Mental Health, Princeton, NJ; co-editor, Mental Health in Early Intervention - September 7, 2011
"Extremely well organized . . . The book keeps its promise to be a practical guide for practitioners and suggests actual strategies to put into practice. It also addresses issues related to supervision, program evaluation, and the larger organizational questions."
James Garbarino, Professor of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago - August 18, 2011
"A major step toward closing the gap between aspirations and realizations in promoting and protecting the mental health of our youngest children by helping the people who care for them develop the tools they need to offer a psychologically safer world from birth and beyond."
Volume Editors: Susan Janko Summers Ph.D., Rachel Chazan-Cohen Ph.D.
Foreword Author: Hiram E. Fitzgerald Ph.D.
Chapter Authors: Linda S. Beeber Ph.D., R.N., Allison B. Boothe Ph.D., Neil W. Boris Ph.D., Regina Canuso M.S., PMHCNS-BC, Nicole Denmark, Melissa Duchene, Brenda Jones Harden Ph.D., Sherryl Scott Heller Ph.D., Angela W. Keys Ph.D., Neena Malik Ph.D., Colleen Monahan, Tim Page Ph.D., Jane Squires Ph.D., Deborah Roderick Stark, Jamell White, Merly Yoches
Courses:
Early Childhood and Infant Mental Health - Undergraduate (EDU 238)
Social, Emotional, and Moral Development and Learning - Undergraduate (EDUC 238)
Essentials of Infant Mental Health - Graduate (PSYC 506)
Infant Behavior and Development - Graduate (PSYC 615)
Introduction to Infant Toddler Mental Health - Graduate (SPED 410)
Foundations of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health - Graduate (CPSY 5501)