Mental Health Begins in Infancy

 

Mental Health Begins in Infancy

 

By Heather Wilson, M.A., Licensed Psychologist-Master, NCSS Early Childhood Support Team Leader

 

As we approach National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, this is a good time to look at the evidence around supporting healthy development in children, and how parenting activities and styles play a huge role.  Parenting is hard, and there are supports in the community that can help.

As a state we are facing challenges of families lacking supports, children getting expelled from multiple child cares, children arriving in preschool with disruptive behavior, the impact of substances, and trauma from separation from parents.  The directors of Early Childhood & Family Mental Health across the state always circle back to pregnant parents and infancy, and the shared vision of providing prevention services instead of reacting to crises down the road.  Mental health starts in infancy.  Wait…what?

For some, the idea of infant mental health conjures up the picture of a baby meeting with a therapist.  “What did you feel when the rattle was moved out of reach?” the therapist inquires, then jots down the baby’s babbling noises.  “I hear you expressing frustration.  Let’s do some mindfulness exercises together to help cope with frustration.”  This is not quite what we mean.

Mental health refers to a state of wellness (World Health Organization), though many people attach a stigma to mental health and think it only refers to areas of psychological distress.  Infant and early childhood mental health is defined by the organization Zero to Three as, “the developing capacity of a child from birth to 5 years to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, manage and express a full range of emotions; and explore the environment and learn.”  Infancy and early childhood is the time to focus on prevention and building resilience.

Strategies are aimed to support the intense amount of brain development occurring in young children.  The goal is to provide a plethora of experiences through relationships so the young child can develop as many neural pathways as they can.  As the child gets older, these neural pathways are pruned to include the most useful connections that will guide them throughout life: when they arrive at child care, when they enroll in school, when they enter adolescence, and when they get to the workforce.

The primary goal of infancy and early childhood is developing a healthy and secure attachment with a primary caregiver.  According to psychiatrist and parenting novelist Dr. Daniel Siegel, there are four components needed to develop attachment: being soothed, being seen, being kept safe, and feeling secure.  Infants rely on their caregivers to help them regulate, and the shushing and rocking serves a scientific purpose.  As infants and toddlers have experiences where they feel safe, secure, seen, and soothed, they can develop a sense of safety in the world.  The world is seen as a welcoming place, and they have the ability to use their newfound motor, communication, and cognitive skills to be a part of the world.

Parents and caregivers should look for opportunities to engage in “serve and return” activities.  These involve the mutual enjoyment and sharing of materials, images, and sensations.  The parent checks in with the baby, responding to the baby’s reaction.  Serve and return is a key part of a healthy and strong parent-child relationship.

Within our community, there are individuals stationed to help parents and young children.  Some are obvious, like the trusted pediatrician.  Others include playgroups, libraries, schools, WIC through the Vermont Department of Health, and home visiting programs.  We also have evidence-based prevention models including Head Start, Parents as Teachers, and Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting.

While prevention is key, we do have a need for intervention services when families and young children face barriers and develop challenges that impact functioning in the home or community.  Intervention is available in a variety of places, and can be accessed by speaking to someone you trust, or through a phone call.

At Northwestern Counseling & Support Services (NCSS), we offer trained professionals through the Early Childhood & Family Mental Health program.   These clinicians provide home visits to address attachment, develop behavior plans, teach development-centered parenting, and refer to community resources for unmet needs.  In addition, NCSS offers two types of evidence-based therapy for families.  Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is family counseling, and can start with parents and infants to address the impact of traumatic events.  Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is family counseling with two-six year olds, which teaches parents play therapy skills to heal problems in the relationship, and effective discipline to help their child cooperate with directions.

Early childhood is an important time for brain development and the establishment of relationships that will impact a child throughout their life, and contribute toward mental health.  For more information, please feel free to call the NCSS Parent Child Center at 802-524-6554.