Early Childhood Treatment Program

Very young children, from birth to six, may develop difficulty regulating and expressing emotions, forming close and secure interpersonal relationships, exploring and mastering the environment, and learning cultural expectations.

Young children and their families may face very challenging circumstances and experience traumatic events—child abuse, neglect, violence, ongoing attachment challenges, depression, and health problems – that contribute to mental health concerns and that require more focused intervention with a specially-trained mental health professional.

Our Approach

Our treatment approaches in this program are informed by the family structure, family history, and family functioning. The Everyday Parenting (EDP) evidence-based model is used that focuses on strengthening caregiver-child relationships and behavioral parenting strategies. This practice highlights the primary role a family plays in supporting their young child’s functioning. When parents respond in a more effective way to their child’s challenging behavior, the behavior de-escalates. Everyday Parenting provides skill training for parents in positive behavior support, monitoring and limit setting, and relationship building. The focus on these parenting domains is derived from other effective parent management training approaches to the prevention and treatment of problem behavior in children.

Early Childhood Treatment Team

Our early childhood team works closely with other providers, including the pediatrician and preschool/school program to ensure that the child continues to receive the kinds of supports needed to improve the developmental and behavioral outcomes for children. When eligible, children may be referred to the Capital City Community Center’s early childhood program which provides specialized supports through KidsConnect services.