Mental Health Consultation
Early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) is one of the five required community-level interventions for Project LAUNCH. ECMHC serves as a powerful tool for supporting young children’s social and emotional health and development.
Studies show that ECMHC improves the ability of staff, programs, and families to prevent, identify, treat, and reduce the effect of mental health problems among children from birth through age eight. This indirect approach to fostering social and emotional well-being achieves positive outcomes for infants and young children.
Project LAUNCH programs use ECMHC in two settings: interventions in early education programs or consultation based in primary care settings.
ECMHC in Early Childhood Settings
Project LAUNCH grantees implement ECMHC with a variety of research-based strategies, including engaging skilled mental health practitioners to work collaboratively with early childhood education staff, programs, and families, to improve child outcomes.
ECMHC in Primary Care Settings
Primary care settings that provide mental health consultation increase children’s and families’ capacity to access appropriate mental health services. In these interventions, mental health clinicians deliver ECMHC in pediatric primary care practices.
