An Equity-Focused Training in Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

This program is no longer accepting applications.

Program Description

The Center for Early Relationship Support (CERS) at Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Boston offers training in Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC). At no cost to participants, this donor-supported, comprehensive course seeks to bring more providers of color into the I/ECMH consultation field. To this end, applicants from BIPOC communities will receive priority, although the course is open to all.

Learn more about the training program from the slides below:

Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, prevention-based service that pairs mental health consultants with early childhood caregivers to help them understand challenging behaviors and better support the healthy social and emotional development of children. 

Participants in this course will explore the I/ECMHC knowledge base and take a practical, in-depth look at the work itself, utilizing principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion to learn together, reflect deeply on their own experiences, and discover how this work can be a significant force for change and empowerment for children and adults alike. We will also incorporate participant feedback throughout the year to ensure we meet learners’ needs, and to continue to improve the training for future cohorts.

Participants in this training will obtain the professional expertise to undertake the role of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant in most practice settings, attaining knowledge and skill in the following areas:

1. The role of the I/ECMH Consultant and the consultative stance
2. Cross-disciplinary theoretical foundations of early relational health
3. Influences of culture, race, institutional bias and historical dynamics on children’s mental health
4. Equity and inclusion within systems of care
5. Reflective practice
6. Supporting the mental health of adult caregivers
7. The impact of developmental, intergenerational and present trauma on early relational health
8. Classroom observation and collaboration with early educators
9. Program and system-wide issues affecting social and emotional well-being of children and their caregivers

As a foundation for course content, participants will take part in a Circle of Security group. The Circle of Security is an evidence-based program to promote emotional connection in children’s earliest relationships.

Note that this tuition-free course, alongside participation in the Circle of Security training, prepares candidates for certification or endorsement in I/EMHC through the Massachusetts Association of Infant Mental Health (MassAIMH) and other organizations supporting the workforce of Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants. It is particularly appropriate for those seeking to work as Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants in Head Start, Early Head Start and other early care and education settings.
 

Program Goals

Our I/ECMHC Training Program aims to improve services for young children and families who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Our primary strategies to achieve this goal are to increase the numbers of BIPOC and bilingual providers in the I/ECMH consultation field, and to promote a model of I/ECMH consultation practice that centers the principles of diversity and equity. The training offers professionals working to support the social and emotional growth of children 0-5 and their families, the opportunity to:
 

• expand their clinical knowledge, skill set, and experience in consultation practice
• explore their use of consultation as a way to enhance observation and reflection among early educators and parents
• expand their knowledge about early childhood development
• investigate the nature of attachment and difficulties connected to attachment, the impact of trauma and ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) on developmental mastery, and the importance of strong relationships to social and emotional well-being and later school readiness
• learn about and practice effective strategies to address challenging child behaviors
• embrace the work of promoting infant and early childhood mental health using an equity lens to ensure all families have access to services that are responsive to their diverse needs
• become familiar with assessment and screening tools to measure social and emotional development and the impact of trauma
• develop strategies for reflective capacity, self-care, and professional development as ways to foster longevity in the field

Date and Time

The I/ECMHC Training Program meets in a virtual classroom every Wednesday morning each month from 9-11 am, from September 2024 through June 2025.

There will also be three, full day, in-person retreats at the beginning, middle and end of the program. The weekly, 2-hour teleconference sessions include:

• Circle of Security Group Participation: Following the first retreat, course attendees will explore child-parent attachment by participating in a Circle of Security group for 8 of their weekly course sessions.
• Course Seminar: The knowledge base informing the practice of I/ECMHC will be explored through lectures, texts, other articles, case studies, small group work, child observation assignments, and opportunities to reflect on the nature of the work.
• Identity Exploration: Explore the ways in which culture, race and all forms of identity impact mental health and the delivery of consultation services
• Additional Course Learning: Course participants have the opportunity to participate in Circle of Security Facilitator training at no additional cost. This training is approximately 35 hours in duration, and is completed outside of the regular weekly course meeting time. With the completion of COS Facilitator training, course participants will be certified to serve as independent Circle of Security Group Facilitators.

Who Should Apply?

We seek diverse candidates with lived experience as a member of a community currently underrepresented in the consultation field, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and bilingual candidates. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.

A bachelor’s degree and 7+ years’ work experience in a mental health field, education, or child development is required; a master’s degree is preferred.

Our ideal candidate will be mature, flexible, have strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work independently. Knowledge about child development, early relationships and family systems as understood through a racial and cultural equity lens, as well as direct experience working with young children are preferred, but not required.

Participants will need to have access to children under six, and their caregivers, for observation exercises during the course seminar. They should also feel confident that they can complete up to 2 hours a week of reading, observation, reflection, and journaling.

CEUs

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for some disciplines will be available.

To receive updates about the training program, such as dates for upcoming info sessions. For potential applicants, as well as other training opportunities offered by CERS and the Infant-Parent Training Institute (IPTI), please fill out this contact form.
 

Faculty

Terri B. Chebot, M.Ed

Program Director, Instructor

Terri is the program director for the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation training project and the coordinator for ECMHC Services at JF&CS. She has cultivated partnerships with early education & care systems in the greater Boston area and supervises the consultants on the team. She is also a practicing consultant to 2 of these systems. Having trained in Infant Mental Health and worked with mothers and babies for 25 years, Terri translated her passion for supporting these primary foundational relationships to the foundational relationships that develop in systems of care. Within these systems, Terri has applied her belief that children thrive as their caregivers better understand themselves and the needs underneath the behaviors they see in children. As a trainer in JF&CS’s Infant Parent Training Institute, Terri has developed a myriad of trainings and regularly teaches Reflective Supervision in Early Education & Care. She is also a certified trainer in Circle of Security for parents and teachers. Terri graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Ohio State University and received a Masters of Education from Boston University.

Tiffany Clark, MSW, LICSW

Curriculum Developer, Instructor

Tiffany Clark is a first-generation, bilingual, bicultural psychotherapist with over 13 years of experience providing dyadic interventions to vulnerable families. During her tenure at JF&CS, Tiffany was a parent-child clinician in the Early Connections-Conexiones Tempranas program, supporting Latin American families impacted by trauma.

Tiffany's clinical and philosophical approach is rooted in social and racial justice, antiracism and culturally-responsive practices. Tiffany graduated from Boston College with her Master's in Social Work. She has trained in Circle of Security, Child-Parent Psychotherapy and Infant Mental Health, among other modalities.

Kathleen Groom-Nguyen, MSW, LCSW

Program Coordinator, Instructor

Kathy is a licensed certified social worker focusing on Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) and family support at Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS). Kathy’s experience includes supervision in home visiting and residential programs serving young families, developing training for early education and home visiting staff, and research in mental health and public health. Kathy currently works as a Reflective Consultation Facilitator at JF&CS’s Center for Early Relationship Support. In this role, she partners with educators and caregivers serving infants and young children in Boston’s early childhood education programs. As a trainer in JF&CS’s Infant-Parent Training Institute, Kathy also teaches Reflective Supervision, Circle of Security, and Parent Mental Health to family support and early education staff. Kathy is passionate about social justice and supporting families experiencing poverty, homelessness, systemic racism, and other forms of oppression. Kathy received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Harvard College, and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington, Seattle. She has additional training in Infant Mental Health, Infant Observation and Reflective Supervision.

Latifah Hasan, MSW, LCSW

Program Instructor

Bringing the experience of over 40 years as an educator, counselor and administrator, Latifah Hasan has worked across a broad spectrum of human service agencies, including child welfare, public health, mental health, early care and education and higher education. As an educator, she encourages shared learning by utilizing personal life experiences and beliefs. She has extensive experience in the field of early care and education. While serving as the Vice President of Child & Family Development at the Dimock Center, she oversaw all their early care programs, including Head Start, Early Head Start and preschool programs serving over 500 children. She has been a strong advocate for universal child care since the early 2000s while serving as the co-chair for the 0 to 8 Coalition. She believes that change occurs through the power of collective voices and thus has served on multiple state, city and community coalitions.

Lisa McElaney, MS, LMHC

Curriculum Developer, Instructor

Lisa is an Infant/Parent Clinician at the Center for Early Relationship Support at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Boston. There, she has worked on several teams as a home-visiting psychotherapist supporting new parents and early relational health. She is rostered in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and trained in EMDR and other trauma treatment modalities. She is also a certified facilitator of Circle of Security-Parenting and Circle of Security-Classroom. Currently, she works as an I/ECMH consultant at Horizons for Homeless Children and Dimock Community Health Center in Boston, MA. Prior to becoming a counseling psychologist, Lisa was a public health researcher and developer of interventions to support maternal and child health. She holds a BA from Bowdoin College, an MFA from Columbia University and an MS in Mental Health Counseling from UMASS, Boston. She is a member of a culturally and racially mixed family and has three adult children who continue to teach her about the complexities of growing up in America today.

Previous Guest Lecturers

• Jayd Rodrigues, Executive Director, Early Education, Horizons for Homeless Children
• Carmen Rosa Norona, LICSW, Co-developer of The Diversity-Informed Tenets for Infants, Children and Families
• Roxanne Hoke-Chandler, MS, Early Childhood Systems Coordinator for Family Engagement and Training, MA Dept of Public Health
• Anilza Barrientos, MA Dept. of Children and Families
• Robert Sege, MD, pediatrician, researcher on social determinants of health, positive childhood experiences and resilience, and prevention of child abuse and neglect
• Deborah Hirschland, MSW, author When Young Children Need Help: Understanding and Addressing Emotional, Behavioral, and Developmental Challenges

Class Size

The course will be a small group learning environment with a maximum of 14 participants.

Cost

The course participation is free for all admitted applicants. Course expenses, including course materials, will be covered by the I/ECMHC Workforce Expansion Project.

Course Texts

• Mental Health Consultation in Child Care by Kadija Johnson and Charles Brinamen
• When Young Children Need Help: Understanding and Addressing Emotional, Behavioral, and Developmental Challenges by Deborah Hirschland
• Hope and Healing: A Caregiver’s Guide to Helping Young Children Affected by Trauma by Kathleen Fitzgerald Rice and Betsy McAlister Groves
• The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D.
• What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing (2021) by Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD and Oprah Winfrey, Flatiron Books.

For more information, please contact the I/ECMHC Training Program at iecmhconsultation@jfcsboston.org or call Sunho Bae at 781-693-5652.