Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Parents and other caregivers play an important role in supporting children’s social-emotional development. Skills such as making friends, caring for others, and resolving conflict peacefully must be learned over time. And children need lots of support from caring adults to develop these skills.
At some time or another, many of us will have a concern about our child as they are growing and developing.
The Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Line connects families or providers to an experienced consultant to discuss your concerns and help you identify support.
Learn More About Consultation
The information below is from Healthy Child Care Colorado, the state’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation network hub.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with adults who work with infants and young children in the different settings where they learn and grow, such as child care, preschool, home visiting, early intervention and their home.
Mental health consultation is not about “fixing kids.” Nor is it therapy. Mental health consultation equips caregivers to facilitate children’s healthy social and emotional development.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation can:
- Improve children’s social skills and emotional functioning
- Promote healthy relationships
- Reduce challenging behaviors
- Reduce the number of suspensions and expulsions
- Improve classroom quality
- Reduce provider stress, burnout, and turnover
ECMHCs develop relationships with the adults and caregivers in young children’s lives to build adults’ capacity and skills to strengthen and support the healthy social and emotional development of children.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants (ECMHCs) are highly trained and licensed (or license-eligible) professionals with specialized knowledge in childhood development, the effects of stress and trauma on families, the importance of attachment for young children, and the impacts of adult mental health on developing children.