Home-Based Services in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
By Stacey M. Cornett, MSW, LCSW, IMH-E®(IV)

Infant and early childhood mental health problems are the most heart-wrenching and confidence-shaking challenges faced by mental health professionals and families alike.  But as difficult as they are, they must be confronted—positively, constructively, with courage and skill.  This important new book shows how.

“Since the pioneering days in our field, we have been waiting for a comprehensive textbook in infant mental health.  Stacey Cornett’s new book seems to be exactly that… . Infant mental health clinicians in actual practice will come to praise it for its accessibility and practicality. ”
—Michael Trout, Director, The Infant-Parent Institute, Champaign, Illinois; founding president of the Michigan and the International Associations for Infant Mental Health

Home-Based Services in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health answers the most important questions practitioners and families have about mental health challenges in the very young.  Learn step-by-step how to structure a complete course of treatment—and understand what should actually occur during every home visit …

• What are the chief mental health risks for infants and young children—and what “protective ” factors can lessen the risks?
• How important is early childhood in the developmental continuum?
• What kind of support produces good mental health outcomes for infants and young children?
• How do children from birth to age five develop in the areas of motor, cognitive, speech and language, self-help, social-emotional, sensory and regulatory functioning?
• How do mental health challenges present differently among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers?
• What are the most critical tasks of parenting, and how do they affect the child’s development?
• What strategies assist caregivers in understanding the mental health needs of their children?  How can you help caregivers better engage with and effectively use available services?
• What are relationship-based assessments and when are they most useful?
• How can caregivers interfere with a developing child’s mental health functioning?  How can you recognize when it happens—and what interventions are most effective and appropriate in these cases?
• What is the best way to structure and sequence a typical home visit with a young child experiencing mental health concerns?
• Which specific interventions work best when you are addressing particular early childhood mental health challenges and disorders?
• How do the intervention strategies for regulatory difficulties, trauma, mood disorders, attachment disturbances, sensory processing challenges, and ADHD differ?
• What are the significant components for an early childhood system of care?
• Which evidence-based practices can be used as part of an intervention framework?
• How can you recognize and implement culturally sensitive practice in infant and early childhood mental health?
• How can you support young children through child care consultation?
• What are the unique needs of young children in foster care?

“Home-Based Services in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health is encyclopedic in nature with attention to every aspect of the work. This book will take the place of multiple texts covering the critical components involved in the practice of infant and early childhood mental health.  Cornett provides a thorough overview of the history of the field, detailed examination of developmental concepts, comprehensive examination of treatment selection and critical treatment issues, and thorough exploration of parenting tasks at each phase of a child’s development. The careful use of case examples to illustrate critical issues such as disturbances in child and family function adds significantly to a reader’s understanding. Specific and detailed information on strategies for engaging and aligning with families throughout treatment will be of great use to beginning clinicians and those new to infant and early childhood mental health.”
—Karen Moran Finello, PhD, Project Director, WestEd Center for Prevention & Early Intervention; Associate Professor, Emeriti Center, University of Southern California

“Home-based Services in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health is a comprehensive text and reference that both new and experienced clinicians will find helpful in their everyday practice. It reflects both the author’s compassion and drive to support infants and young children as well as her 25-plus years of experience as a clinician, supervisor and administrator. As a result, Home-based Services in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health covers important information about all aspects of infant and early childhood mental health work, including history and theory along with carefully considered practice recommendations. Filled with vignettes and examples, the text provides detailed information and guidelines needed to provide a range of mental health assessment and services to very young children and their families in many settings, as well and material that will be useful in systems-building and care coordination approaches.”
—Angela M. Tomlin, Ph.D., HSPP, IMH-E® (IV), Infant Mental Health Mentor; Director, Riley Child Development Center LEND; Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics; Indiana University School of Medicine; Chair, Indiana Association for Infant & Toddler Mental Health Board Member, Autism Society of  Indiana

“This thoughtful book provides an overview of the knowledge base and practice concepts central to infant and early childhood mental health intervention. Particular strengths include its comprehensiveness and its consistent focus on the relationship between young child and caregiver as the cornerstone of practice. Cornett’s book will benefit new practitioners seeking an orientation to the field, and will find its way to the desks of experienced practitioners and supervisors needing a valuable reference and handbook.”
—Douglas Davies, MSW, PhD, Lecturer, School of Social Work, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Infant Mental Health Mentor (IV)

“Where else in the infant mental health literature can one find, in a single text, presentation of  basic theory in assessment and intervention, alongside discussion of the nuances we have come to understand as key to effective program and practice:  issues in engagement; how trauma changes everything; cultural sensitivity; and even the importance of reflective supervision?
—Michael Trout, Director, The Infant-Parent Institute, Champaign, Illinois; founding president of the Michigan and the International Associations for Infant Mental Health

Related Publications:
Report on Emotional & Behavioral Disorders in Youth
Managing Adolescent Depression
Home-Based Services for High-Risk Youth