CPC learns about infant, early childhood mental health consultations
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Maegan Williams Pope, an infant and early childhood mental health consultant with the Alabama Department of Mental Health, speaks to attendees at the Children’s Policy Council meeting about services provided through the agency. Photo by Christa Jennings
By Christa Jennings
The September meeting of the Coosa County Children’s Policy Council saw multiple agencies come together for updates, events and to hear more about services available for infant and early childhood mental health.
Guest speaker Maegan Williams Pope, an infant and early childhood mental health consultant with the Alabama Department of Mental Health, spoke to attendees about services they provide.
She explained that they can go into classrooms and homes to provide observations and diagnoses, as well as provide tools to assist parents and caregivers.
She explained that they offer parenting classes through Circle of Security Parenting, which offers free virtual or in-person groups for parents and professionals. The program is designed to help support children’s ability to successfully manage their emotions and to help caregivers better connect with the children in their lives, whether at home or in child care or foster care settings.
Pope reviewed some statistics relating to children with psychiatric diagnoses or disorders. She said that data from 2015 reflected that in Alabama 17.4% of children have a diagnostical concern; however, she said that number has likely increased in the last 11 years.
In speaking with attendees about the top psychiatric diagnoses for children ages 0 to 5, Pope said those include anxiety, ADHD, disruptive behaviors, and bipolar.
Through the Alabama Department of Mental Health, its Infant and Early Childhood Special Programs, or IECSP, involve four program areas that promote positive early experiences through “collaborative partnerships, empowering families and building workforce capacity across communities.”
The four programs of the IECSP are Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services, Part C Early Intervention Program Support, Pediatric Access to Telemental Health Services, and Promoting Positive Early Experiences and Relationships in Alabama.
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, or IECMH, Services is primarily what Pope spoke on, which is the developing capacity of a child from birth to 5 years old to experience, manage and express a full range of emotions; form close adult and peer relationships; and explore the environment and learn.
Since 2020, the Alabama Department of Mental Health has been addressing the mental health needs of infants and young children by employing master’s level licensed therapists who receive specialized training to support the mental health and well being of children from birth through 5 years old, as well as the adults who care for them through the IECMH Consultation.
The IECMH Consultation program is a prevention-based service that pairs a mental health consultant with families and adults who work with infants and young children in various settings where they learn and grow, such as the home, preschool, childcare, or in pediatric primary care settings.
The consultation provided is free to children and families across a variety of settings, including Part C Early Intervention, First Class Pre-K, pediatric primary care practices, and other settings.
Additionally, the department and IECMH Consultation offers several free trainings to parents and professionals alike, including such training topics as Facilitating Attuned Interactions, Building Your Bounce, understanding trauma in young children, and diagnostic classification of mental health and development disorders of infancy and early childhood.
In her presentation Pope also stated that children thrive with a schedule and routine. It was also mentioned that adults are asking children to heal and thrive, but then return to their same environment, and they can be re-traumatized.
In ongoing discussion, Pope said that 211 and Alabama Family Interactive are both good resources for families and caregivers.
She said that the Alabama Department of Mental Health has both consultants and counselors available for its IECMH services. She added that all services are free, and they do not bill insurance.
For more information about the department’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health services, call 334-544-9213 or email iecmh.services@mh.alabama.gov.
In other business during the Children’s Policy Council meeting, it was reported that parenting classes can now be held locally at the Coosa County Department of Human Resources, meaning that parents will no longer have to travel outside of the county for such classes. Class dates are to be announced.
Lunch for this month’s meeting was provided by Superintendent of Education David Stover Jr. and wife, Debi Stover.
Elected officials in attendance for the meeting were Superintendent Stover and District Judge Carlton Teel.
The next regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Children’s Policy Council will be held at the E-911 Center at 11:30 a.m. October 13.
