An Introduction to Infant-Preschooler Mental Health
Course #66282 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Quality early childhood mental health practices utilize evidence-based, relationship-focused approaches to promote cognitive, developmental, emotional, and social growth. These practices are not specific to any one discipline; infant and preschooler mental health practitioners come from a myriad of professions. Infant-preschooler mental health is often a subspecialty within a specific discipline, spanning from child development to psychiatry. This course provides a brief introduction to the foundational concepts and principles of infant and preschooler mental health, highlighting the complex and important role of relationships and attachments in early childhood.
- INTRODUCTION
- HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF INFANT MENTAL HEALTH
- THE INFANT-PRESCHOOLER MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN
- KEY CONCEPTS OF INFANT AND PRESCHOOLER MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE
- RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS
- INFANT, TODDLER, AND PRESCHOOLER BEHAVIORAL ISSUES AND MENTAL HEALTH
- INFANT-PRESCHOOLER EVALUATION, SCREENING, AND ASSESSMENT
- COMMON EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS
- CONCLUSION
- RESOURCES
- APPENDIX: TOYS/ITEMS FOR A PLAY THERAPY ROOM
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This introductory course is designed for psychologists currently treating or interested in treating children younger than 5 years of age.
The purpose of this course is to offer psychologists a basic understanding of the complex relationship and evidence-based approach to the psychological assessment and treatment of children younger than 5 years of age, commonly called infant-preschooler mental health.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Define and discuss the tenets of infant-preschooler mental health.
- Identify common risk and resiliency factors for children younger than 5 years of age.
- Compare and contrast various attachment styles.
- List and describe common screening and assessment tools used in infant-preschooler mental health.
- Evaluate evidence-based interventions for children younger than 5 years of age.
Julie Torok-Mangasarian, MA, LMFT, RPM, is a mental health clinician and the Clinical Director of the California Psychological Institute in Fresno, CA. She received her MA in Counseling Psychology in 2006 and a certification in Infant-Preschooler Mental Health in 2011. She specializes in the treatment of complex and developmental trauma in young children. She has acted as a consultant and presenter on topics such as infant mental health, reflective practice, complex and developmental trauma, and attachment/attachment disorders. She utilizes her skills as a Registered Play Therapist and Endorsed Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist in her daily work with infants, children, and families within the child welfare system. She has specialized training in Infant-Preschooler Mental Health and Development, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Play Therapy, Infant Massage, and Reflective Practice Facilitation/Supervision.
Contributing faculty, Julie Torok-Mangasarian, MA, LMFT, RPM, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
James Trent, PhD
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.