Project connect, infant early childhood mental health program - project connect will complement and enhance existing mental health services within head start/early head start (HS/EHS) centers; helping…

Project connect, infant early childhood mental health program - project connect will complement and enhance existing mental health services within head start/early head start (HS/EHS) centers; helping to address the serious gaps in multi-generational prevention, intervention, and treatment for children ages 0-12 and their families in mercer county, new jersey. Services will help meet a critical need in mercer county, which has high rates of crime and poverty and other factors associated with child and parental stress; and where there is a shortage of multi-generational mental health treatment, especially for children ages 0-12. A skilled research team from the brazelton touchpoints center will evaluate. Through a continuum of primary and tertiary services, project connect will provide intensive mental health consultation and professional development for HS/EHS programs, staff, and families, building systems-level capacity to support the healthy development of children. HS/EHS parents will strengthen the nurturing practices they use. Community-wide education will be offered for families and child-serving professionals and faith-based organizations, with the aim of building community knowledge and skills for relational, trauma-informed preventive practices. Finally, evidence-based, family-focused therapies will be delivered to enhance the functioning of children and families with significant mental health needs, filling infrastructure gaps. All activities will increase provider and parent awareness and ability to respond to children's mental health and trauma via developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive interventions. Chsofnj will train and support a team of clinicians certified to deliver trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and theraplay, two evidence-based modalities, proven effective for the target population. Treatment for children and parents/caregivers will be complemented by evidence-based mental health consultation in five head start/early head start centers, professional development and parent education opportunities. Project connect has four goals: (1) engage parents as partners in developing a sustainable approach to promoting protective factors and responding to the mental health needs and priorities of their families; (2) reduce the need for intensive clinical interventions among children ages 0-12 years; (3) improve access to evidence-based assessment, treatment and intervention services through delivery of multi-generational counseling for children ages 0-12 and their families to fill the serious gaps in the system of care, increase resilience in response to trauma and aces, and improve mental health outcomes; and (4) increase efficacy among the mental health and related workforce to maintain consistent, caring relationships with children ages 0-12. Eighteen objectives will guide assessment, such as, 75% of staff participating in the family connections iecmhc and PD model will demonstrate increased competencies related to identifying and addressing children's mental and behavioral health needs and use of developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed social-emotional practices as measured by the goal achievement scale; improve child functioning, social skills and post-traumatic symptoms, as measured by the child behavior checklist, and child and adolescent trauma screen for 75% who complete theraplay and TF-CBT counseling; and 75% of head start/EHS staff will identify and describe one practice that resulted in improved observation/perception of child behavior in the classroom.