"The availability of services provided by psychologists in perinatal care is a relatively recent event. It remains uncommon for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to have a psychologist as a dedicated staff member, although the number of NICU psychologists is increasing. This volume is primarily concerned with perinatal services provided by psychologists. I do, however, want to make note at the beginning of the valuable role of social workers as a complement to the care offered by psychologists. Social workers have been available in NICUs since the mid-1960s. The National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) was founded in 1980 to help standardize training and services. The initial focus of perinatal social workers was service delivery in the NICU, but social work services soon spread to antepartum care and follow-up. NAPSW has published an excellent set of standards for a variety of activities including fertility counseling, bereavement, obstetric settings, adoptions, field education, and surrogacy. Some activities of social workers overlap with those of psychologists, but each discipline has its own set of unique skills. Social workers are often involved in case and crisis management, bedside family support, and discharge planning in the NICU"--

Grown out of 40 years of experience in Michigan, Infant Mental Health Home Visiting: Supporting Competencies/ Reducing Risks is one of the most comprehensive resources for practitioners and policy makers interested in promoting good infant mental health. This manual is indispensable for infant-family professionals who are looking to incorporate infant mental health principles and promote attachment relationships in their work with babies and families.

There are relatively high rates of complications in the fetal and neonatal periods (1 in 33 fetuses born with birth defects and 1 in 10 preterm births in the US). With advances in maternal-fetal care and growing services and life-extending medical innovations in the neonatal period, more families are presenting to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and often for longer lengths of time. The growing recognition of mental health needs of families and providers in fetal care centers, NICUs, and neonatal follow-up programs has led to a quickly increasing presence of behavioral health providers in these settings. Behavioral Health Services with High-Risk Infants & Families is a practical guide for mental health clinicians working in fetal care, NICU, and neonatal follow-up care. The book provides a broad overview of common medical conditions in fetal and NICU settings (e.g., congenital anomalies, premature birth, hypoxic injury in the perinatal period), prevalence, and symptoms of behavioral health challenges, specific considerations for assessment and intervention, and cross-cutting issues to assist the clinician with optimizing behavioral health care integration with mothers, partners, babies, and families. Additionally, information about the provision of psychosocial support and education to staff is also included. The text represents a comprehensive, practical resource for behavioral health clinicians working with pregnant women, partners, infants, families, and providers in perinatal and neonatal intensive care settings. The book features de-identified case examples, trauma-informed care prompts/scripts, specific questions for assessment and intakes, key medical terms, resource guides, and reference lists.

This completely revised and updated edition reflects tremendous advances in theory, research and practice that have taken place over the past decade. Grounded in a relational view of infancy, the volume offers a broad interdisciplinary analysis of the developmental, clinical and social aspects of mental health from birth to age three.

The Handbook of Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Mental Health Assessment brings together, for the first time, leading clinical researchers to provide empirically based recommendations for assessment of social-emotional and behavior problems and disorders in the earliest years. Each author presents state-of-the-art information on scientifically valid, developmentally based clinical assessments and makes recommendations based on the integration of developmental theory, empirical findings, and clinical experience. Though the field of mental health assessment in infants and young children lags behind work with older children and adults, recent scientific advances, including new measures and diagnostic approaches, have led to dramatic growth in the field. The editors of this exciting new work have assembled an extraordinary collection of chapters that thoroughly discuss the conceptualizations of dysfunction in infants and young children, current and new diagnostic criteria, and such specific disorders as sensory modulation dysfunction, sleep disorders, eating and feeding disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and ADHD. Chapters further highlight the importance of incorporating contextual factors such as parent-child relationship functioning and cultural background into the assessment process to increase the validity of findings. Given the comprehensiveness of this groundbreaking volume in reviewing conceptual, methodological, and research advances on early identification, diagnosis, and clinical assessment of disorders in this young age group, it will be an ideal resource for teachers, researchers, and a wide variety clinicians including child psychologists, child psychiatrists, early intervention providers, early special educators, social workers, family physicians, and pediatricians.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Case Studies in Infant Mental Health offers 12 real-life stories written by infant mental health specialists about their work with a young child and family. Each case study also reveals the supervision and consultation that supported the specialist, and the specialists interaction with the larger service system. Discussion questions at the end of each case study guide self-reflection or group study.

"The availability of services provided by psychologists in perinatal care is a relatively recent event. It remains uncommon for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to have a psychologist as a dedicated staff member, although the number of NICU psychologists is increasing. This volume is primarily concerned with perinatal services provided by psychologists. I do, however, want to make note at the beginning of the valuable role of social workers as a complement to the care offered by psychologists. Social workers have been available in NICUs since the mid-1960s. The National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) was founded in 1980 to help standardize training and services. The initial focus of perinatal social workers was service delivery in the NICU, but social work services soon spread to antepartum care and follow-up. NAPSW has published an excellent set of standards for a variety of activities including fertility counseling, bereavement, obstetric settings, adoptions, field education, and surrogacy. Some activities of social workers overlap with those of psychologists, but each discipline has its own set of unique skills. Social workers are often involved in case and crisis management, bedside family support, and discharge planning in the NICU"--

"Filled with detailed, evocative examples, the volume offers both a comprehensive theoretical framework and practical therapeutic guidelines. It takes the reader step by step through assessing clients and combining play, developmental guidance, trauma-focused interventions, and concrete assistance with problems of living. Clear-cut yet flexible strategies are presented for helping parents resolve their own painful past experiences, gain insight into their child's developmental stage and unique psychological makeup, respond more effectively to his or her emotional needs, and create a safer family environment."--BOOK JACKET.

Healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) development is a critical foundation for a productive adulthood. Much is known about strategies to support families and communities in strengthening the MEB development of children and youth, by promoting healthy development and also by preventing and mitigating disorder, so that young people reach adulthood ready to thrive and contribute to society. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has significantly strengthened understanding of healthy MEB development and the factors that influence it, as well as how it can be fostered. Yet, the United States has not taken full advantage of this growing knowledge base. Ten years later, the nation still is not effectively mitigating risks for poor MEB health outcomes; these risks remain prevalent, and available data show no significant reductions in their prevalence. Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda examines the gap between current research and achievable national goals for the next ten years. This report identifies the complexities of childhood influences and highlights the need for a tailored approach when implementing new policies and practices. This report provides a framework for a cohesive, multidisciplinary national approach to improving MEB health.