Early Childhood Mental Health
The Early Childhood Mental Health team works with parents of infants who have spent weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and have medical trauma. Though the medical treatment they experienced in the NICU was lifesaving, the infant’s body only knew that the intervention they received caused pain. The first weeks of life were not spent wrapped in a cozy blanket in the arms of their parents rocking to the soothing sound of lullabies playing in the background. The sounds these babies heard were the beeps of medical equipment. And the time in their parents’ arms was limited. These babies, and their parents, need mental health support through weekly attachment-focused therapy sessions provided at no cost to families who are often already facing a growing stack of medical bills.
The team works with children who, after the death of their parent, may be living with a grandparent or other relative. Grief in very young children looks different than it does when someone is older and loses a loved one. Our therapists not only educate the grieving adult about how to talk with their young one, but they support the child as they learn to express themselves and understand the change in their lives.
A child who has lost a sibling at the hands of a parent and now is in foster care can feel lost, alone, and start down a pathway to a life-long need for mental health services. Early intervention of mental health therapy may not erase the tragedy that occurred, but it can begin to identify the child’s needs and help caregivers support them so that responses to their big emotions are appropriate.
And sometimes, when a therapist sits down with a parent and child for the first time, the issue is one that is as old as time. A family that is stressed – financially, emotionally, physically – and they just need help in understanding the importance of routine and connection. Having someone observe and listen to the frustration of a parent who is seeking support is beneficial for the whole family.
The 15 members of Rainbows’ Mental Health team are a group of dedicated, intelligent, kind, and funny people who have a collective mission to do their part in making the lives of children a bit better. Rainbows’ Mental Health program is the only one in the area that works with children so young. They are the only program that goes to the family home at no cost to the family.
By removing barriers of cost and transportation, by providing a sensitive therapist with experience, we are changing the trajectory of young lives and giving grateful parents valuable information and support.
