Case Studies In Infant Mental Health

Offers 12 real-life stories written by infant mental health specialists about their work with young children and families. Each case study also reveals the supervision and consultation that supported the specialist, and the specialist's interaction with the larger service system.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Core Concepts and Clinical Practice is a groundbreaking book that provides an overview of the field from both theoretical and clinical viewpoints. The editors and chapter authors -- some of the field's foremost researchers and teachers -- describe from their diverse perspectives key concepts fundamental to infant-parent and early childhood mental health work. The complexity of this emerging field demands an interdisciplinary approach, and the book provides a clear, comprehensive, and coherent text with an abundance of clinical applications to increase understanding and help the reader to integrate the concepts into clinical practice. Offering both cutting-edge coverage and a format that facilitates learning, the book boasts the following features and content: A focus on helping working professionals expand their specialization skills and knowledge and on offering core competency training for those entering the field, which reflects the Infant-Parent Mental Health Postgraduate Certificate Program (IPMHPCP) and Fellowship in Napa, CA that was the genesis of the book. Chapters written by a diverse group of authors with vastly different training, expertise, and clinical experience, underscoring the book's interdisciplinary approach. In addition, terms such as clinician, therapist, provider, professional, and teacher are intentionally used interchangeably to describe and unify the field. Explication and analysis of a variety of therapeutic models, including Perry's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics; Brazelton's neurodevelopmental and relational Touchpoints; attachment theory; the Neurorelational Framework; Mindsight; and Downing's Video Intervention Therapy. An entire chapter devoted to diagnostic schemas for children ages 0--5, which highlights the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: Revised (DC:0-3R). With the release of DSM-5, this chapter provides a prototypical crosswalk between DC:0-3R and ICD codes. A discussion of the difference between evidence-based treatments and evidence-based practices in the field, along with valuable information on randomized controlled trials, a research standard that, while often not feasible or ethically permissible in infant mental health work, remains a standard applied to the field. Key points and references at the end of each chapter, and generous use of figures, tables, and other resources to enhance learning. The volume editors and authors are passionate about the pressing need for further research and the acquisition and application of new knowledge to support the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Core Concepts and Clinical Practice should find a receptive audience for this critically important message.

The second edition of Case Studies in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology expands on the case study approach utilized in the first edition, providing engaging narratives of clients with rich backgrounds and complex family situations. Because the answers to important real-world questions are often nuanced, contextual, and tentative—unlike the idealistic scenarios presented in most textbooks—these case studies contain ethical lapses, clinical mistakes, confusing diagnostic presentations, unevenly applied approaches, and sometimes unhappy endings. These real-life portrayals of clients help students learn the skills they will need to be successful in the mental health field. Critical thinking questions designed to develop objective analysis and evaluation skills are embedded throughout the cases, which can be used in individual, group, or online formats. This problem-based learning approach challenges readers to create accurate case conceptualizations and evidence-based treatment plans. The cases utilize the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The current research applied in the case studies serves to deepen the understanding of the etiology and treatment of these disorders. The latest edition emphasizes culture, race, and ethnicity in psychotherapy, featuring both children and mental health providers who represent a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.

This comprehensive and highly useful guide offers students and practicing clinicians who work with infant and preschool populations a much-needed resource for developing and honing their professional skills and clinical experiences. The book contains vital information about general training issues and highlights the skills that are needed to be considered a competent professional. Written by top experts in the field from a wide range of disciplines, the authors address basic areas of training and practice with very young children, including observation, assessment, diagnosis, dyadic therapy, and reflective supervision, in addition to unique areas of clinical work such as reunification and adoption evaluations. The book also offers examples of innovative models of training and practice for the delivery of services in nontraditional settings such as homes, day care centers, and preschools, and special strategies for delivering clinical services and providing supervision in rural and remote settings, including the use of technology.

What can we do about very young children who cry all the time, or who withdraw, or who resist the very thing they need most: loving care? What can we do about parents who seem lost in the hurts of their own early childhood, and who behave in ways absolutely antithetical to their own stated parenting principles? This is the world of infant mental health, and this book gathers together 25 stories from the author’s 41 years of experience in this remarkable clinical specialty. It will serve as a casebook and guide for infant mental health practitioners, and for the specialized faculty who prepare them. The clarity and accessibility of the cases will, however, make this book compelling to anyone mystified by how our earliest attachment experiences support or confound our later development.

Provides an evidence-based and practical approach to assessment of young children and their families across diverse settings.