What is Infant Mental Health?
We are tackling Adverse Babyhood Experiences (ABEs) to promote lifelong mental health and resilience.
The first years of life provide the basis for children's relationships and wellbeing across the lifespan. "Infant Mental Health" refers to how well a child develops socially and emotionally from birth to age three.
Social development includes the ability to form healthy relationships with others, and the knowledge of social rules and standards.
Emotional development includes the experience of feelings about self and others, with a range of positive and negative emotions, as well as the ability to control and regulate feelings in culturally appropriate ways.
The development of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-regulation are important features of early social-emotional development and is essential for later success in school and life.
Infant and Maternal Health Services
Infant, Early Childhood, and Maternal Mental Health has been the foundation of our work since being founded in 1999.
Center for Child Counseling has been Palm Beach County's leading organization in providing mental health care and support for babies, young children, and their caregivers for the past twenty years.
In addition to our services, we share our expertise through clinical training, supervision, and an internship program that is training the next generation of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists.
We are a proud member organization of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health and our CEO serves as the Vice President of the statewide Board of Directors. Our therapists receive specialized training and endorsement opportunities to enhance practice.
We are an approved provider through the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County's Healthy Beginnings system providing Infant Mental Health services through contracts for Counseling for Parents and Young Children and Child First. In addition, our community mental health team provides services in childcare centers, our offices, and homes.
Evidenced-Based Support
Attachment problems in infancy and early childhood increase the probability of mental health and behavioral concerns later on in life.
Our clinicians are trained in a variety of evidence-based approaches including Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Filial Therapy - which all focus on the parent-child relationship through the dyad in sessions.
Our team is trained in Circle of Security (COS), which provides a strong foundation to support secure attachment, a protective factor that contributes to healthy emotional development throughout the lifespan.
Our team also includes endorsed trainers for the The Growing Brain curriculum through Zero to Three, so we are able to provide effective strategies in building healthy brains! Learn more about COS in the video below.
Healthy Beginnings System
In Palm Beach County, the Children's Services Council's Healthy Beginnings System offers universal screening for pregnant women and newborns to identify those who may have risk factors related to poor birth outcomes due to adversity, trauma, and health disparities. Our Infant Mental Health Program provides mental health services, at no charge, for women and infants screened and referred through the system's entry agencies, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County and Home Safe.
There are over thirty other programs available through the Council, from parenting to mentoring for teens. To learn more, CLICK HERE.
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