2011 4-Day Course in Israel

Introduction to Early Childhood Mental Health

June 12, 14 - 16, presented by Lesley Sternin* and Amy Weiss*

at Hebrew University, Department of Social Work, for Master's degree students

Day 1

Introduction to the field of Early Childhood Mental Health
The history of the field in the United States: Infant Mental Health and Selma Freiberg, attachment, brain and trauma research, and the development of the field

Attachment
Why do we begin with attachment?
The importance of early relationships’ impact on young children’s development
Attachment Research: James Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, Mary Main, Peter Fonagy
Goodness of fit
Intergenerational transmission of attachment and relational patterns
Ghosts and Angels in the Nursery
Disorders of attachment
Impact of Trauma on attachment: Alicia Lieberman

Brain Development
Brain research (de Bellis, Carrion)
Early development of the brain
The impact of experience and relationships on the brain

Day 2

Environment
Bronfenbrenner: Transactional Model
Psychosocial Risk factors: Poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, war and terrorism
The impact of risk factors on development and relationships
Culture shapes the family and community
Developmental Contextualism (Lerner, 1991)

Normal and Atypical Development
Developmental tasks of early childhood: “loving well, learning well” (Patricia Van Horn)
Individual differences in normal development
Development of self-regulation
The impact of stress/trauma on development

Family Development
Parenting as a developmental process
Family Lifecycle (Mattessich and Hill, 1987)
Developmental milestones of family development
Family dynamics/Systems theory
The impact of culture on parenting
Exposure to violence; disruptions to attachment, intergenerational transmission of trauma, cultural lenses to violence and family functioning
Different family structures

Day 3

Observation
Models of observation
Observation lenses: child’s development, trauma, interaction with primary caregivers, interaction with peers, interaction with observer/assessor, child’s strengths and deficits, family system, behavioral symptoms
Observer’s orientation and biases

Assessment and Case Formulation
Assessment of the whole child and family
Assessment lenses : child, parent, child-parent, child-parents
Making Meaning: Understanding the picture
Planning for the primary areas of need

Day 4

Interventions
Facilitating the process of change
Home visiting
Intersubjective use of self

Models of Intervention
Introduction to Child-Parent Psychotherapy
Overview of the dyadic model
Goals of treatment
Intervention Modalities
Building from simplicity
Dyadic or triadic therapy
Supporting developmental momentum
Unstructured developmental guidance
Modeling appropriate protective behavior
Insight-oriented interpretation
Retrieving benevolent memories
Introduction to Mental Health Consultation to Childcare
Description of the model (Johnson and Brinamen)
Program observation and consultation
Case consultation
Parent Education and support
Early referral
Principles of Consultation
The consultant’s position
The collaborative nature of consultation
Use of relationship
Addressing program functioningherapeutic Play activity groups

*About the Presenters

Lesley Sternin, MSW, LCSW, is director of the Child Trauma Training Institute at Jewish Family and Children's Services' Parents Place in San Francisco.

Amy Weiss, MS, MFT, is director of Jewish Family and Children's Services' Parents Place in San Francisco.

They collaborate with Alicia Lieberman, PhD, and Patricia Van Horn, PhD,  from the University of California, San Francisco/General Hospital Child Trauma Research Program to offer training to mental health professionals. Lieberman and Van Horn developed the Child-Parent Psychotherapy model that is the basis for CTI's program, offered both in San Francisco and by distance learning. More about the program ...

Adjunct Faculty:

Sara Grunstein, MSW, LCSW is the Mental Health Team Leader in the CARE Program, Early Childhood Mental Health Program, Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland California.

Carol Singer, MSW, LCSW, is Director of Clinical Services, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay.