Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Project
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Project (IECMHC) works with family support and education programs across Illinois to build their capacity to respond to the mental health needs of children birth through age five and their families.

There is a direct relationship between how program staff view, evaluate, and understand the children and families they serve and the effectiveness of their ongoing interactions and practice with these families. Research shows that professionals who are coached to pay attention to how they are experiencing and reacting to young children and their families and the challenges they face will develop better, more effective means to help them.

That is why the Illinois State Board of Education contracted with Erikson to build and sustain a network of qualified consultants who could work with programs to increase their capabilities for addressing social-emotional development. Initially, the consultants worked with Early Childhood Prevention Initiative Program sites in Cook County and across the state. These programs provide home visiting and center-based services to children from birth to three and their families. In 2007–08, the project was expanded to include state-funded preschool programs for children ages three to five.

Through the project, Erikson’s infant and early childhood mental health consultants work with program staff— teachers, teacher assistants, home visitors, parent educators, social workers, coaches, support staff, volunteers, and administrators. After an evaluation process to assess a program site’s strengths, capacities, and needs, the consultant and staff collaboratively set goals for the consultation.

Specific support activities vary depending on each program’s goals, but the consultation is rooted in an infant mental health approach. Rather than observing and advising on the cases of specific children, the consultants guide staff to examine how they experience the children and families and how this experience influences their direct practice. In addition, the consultant and the program staff share their knowledge bases to support and strengthen the program’s work.

In 2006–07, Erikson’s Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy conducted an evaluation to study how the project was developed and implemented, assess its potential for increasing the current workforce of IECMH consultants, and examine how responsive the project was to the needs of PI programs. The study found that the project offers “promising strategy to improve the outcomes of infants and toddlers at-risk for academic failure by building the capacity of caregivers connected to early childhood programs to work with the mental health needs of young children and their families.”

For more information or to inquire about consultation with your program, please contact
Laurie Kabb, executive director
(312) 893-7146

More about the project
Project goals
Consultation process
Participating programs