Early Connections Institute (ECI) is a specialized program aimed at promoting early relationships and mental health for women and young children.
09/05/2025
At Early Connections Institute, we believe the earliest relationships shape a lifetime. 💛
Our mission is to support mothers, fathers, infants, children, and families through compassionate, research-based therapy.
Whether it’s navigating postpartum challenges, helping children manage big emotions, or walking alongside families through loss and transition, we create safe spaces for healing and connection.
🌿 Individual, couple, and family therapy
🌿 Specialized maternal and paternal mental health care
🌿 Infant and child therapy through play and attunement
🌿 Support groups and workshops designed to strengthen bonds
Because when parents and children feel seen, safe, and supported — families thrive.
September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month 💙💚
Su***de touches every part of family life — mothers, fathers, and even children can experience deep emotional pain that feels too heavy to carry alone.
🌿 Mothers may struggle with postpartum depression or loss on the journey to parenthood.
🌿 Fathers can face quiet battles with depression, anxiety, or the pressure to stay strong.
🌿 Children and teens may show their struggles through behavior, withdrawal, or ‘big feelings’ that signal something deeper.
At Early Connections Institute, we believe prevention begins with awareness, compassion, and support. Talking about su***de doesn’t plant the idea — it plants connection, and connection saves lives. 💛
If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 for the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone.
There’s still time to join our fall workshops + support groups at Early Connections Institute! 🌿💛
✨ Nurturing New Mothers (begins Sept 9)
For pregnant and new moms seeking connection, tools, and a safe space to share. Babies in arms welcome.
✨ Loss on the Journey to Motherhood (begins Sept 9)
Compassionate support for women who’ve experienced miscarriage, child loss, adoption loss, or fertility struggles.
✨ Parent–Child Wellness Workshops (begin Sept 12)
Friday evening sessions helping families navigate big feelings like anger, sadness, and hyperactivity through play, art, and connection.
All groups are held in our Brighton office and spots are limited!
Sign up via link in bio, QR code, or our website today!
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
08/25/2025
Family therapy isn’t about fixing one person.
It’s about helping the whole system feel safer, stronger, and more connected.
When one person in the family is struggling—whether it’s a child with big feelings, a teen pulling away, or parents feeling stuck—it impacts everyone.
Family therapy creates space for each voice to be heard. It helps families:
✔ Communicate with more empathy
✔ Understand each other’s triggers
✔ Break unhelpful patterns
✔ Build healthier ways of coping—together
Healing doesn’t have to happen alone. Let’s grow through it, as a team.
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 Earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
08/23/2025
Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse.
Sometimes it looks like:
😴 Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix
🧍♀️ Disconnection from the people you love
😠 Irritation over every little thing
😶 Feeling numb or just “going through the motions”
😤 Resentment you don’t want to admit
😟 Anxiety that buzzes beneath the surface
These are not personality flaws — they’re signs.
Signs that your nervous system is overworked, your emotional tank is empty, and your boundaries need reinforcement.
💛 Setting boundaries isn’t selfish. It’s what helps you keep showing up with presence, patience, and love.
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 Visit: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
08/20/2025
Parenting is full of moments that test your patience, your energy, and your heart.
And in the middle of the chaos, self-talk matters.
Affirmations aren’t about toxic positivity — they’re gentle reminders that you’re human too. That your effort counts. That you’re allowed to show up imperfectly.
Here are 6 affirmations for any parent who needs a soft reset today:
✨I am doing my best, and that is enough.
✨It’s okay to ask for help.
✨My presence matters more than perfection.
✨I can be calm even when my child isn’t.
✨Every day is a new chance to connect.
✨I deserve care and rest too.
Repeat as often as needed. 💛
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 Visit: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
08/12/2025
💙Calling all local businesses!
We’re launching The Nourish Kit — a beautiful care package gifted to moms completing our 6-week therapy group. Each kit is filled with love, local goodies, and self-care treats from amazing businesses in our community.
Here’s how you can be part of it:
✨Share a product, sample, or discount
✨Offer a coupon or branded item
✨Or simply help spread the word
Your contribution helps uplift mothers, promote healing, and connect our community in powerful ways.
Because motherhood is a journey no one should walk alone.💛
✨Nurturing New Mothers — for pregnant and new moms looking for connection, tools, and a safe space to share. Babies in arms welcome.
✨Loss on the Journey to Motherhood — for women who’ve experienced miscarriage, child loss, adoption loss, or fertility struggles, offering compassion and healing in community.
Both groups are 6 weeks long, held at Early Connections Institute in Brighton.
At the end of each group, every participant receives a Nourish Kit — a care package filled with local love, gifts, and discounts to continue your healing journey!
🗓️ Starts September 9
📍 Early Connections Institute, Brighton, MI.
🪧 Sign up via our QR code, link in bio, or visit EarlyConnectionsInstitute.com
08/09/2025
Coming this fall! Parent–Child Wellness Workshops available at ECI! 🍂
Join us for a series of playful, powerful, and heart-centered workshops designed to help families navigate big feelings—together.
Friday evenings, our Brighton office will host themed sessions where parents and children explore emotions through stories, art, and interactive tools rooted in therapeutic connection.
💛Anger & Aggression: Sept 12, Oct 10, Nov 7
💛Sadness & Guilt: Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 14
💛Hyperactivity & Inattention (ADHD Reframed): Sept 26, Oct 24, Nov 21
⏰ 5:30–6:45 PM
📍ECI Office, Brighton MI
From emotional regulation to safe expression, these workshops offer a chance to turn challenges into growth—for both kids and caregivers.
Limited spots available– call or go to our site to reserve yours today!
📞Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐Visit: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻Virtual & in-person appointments available
08/07/2025
“I don’t know how I feel” is a tough spot for a child.
Teaching kids to recognize, name, and express emotions is the first step in emotional health.
Try this:
🗣 “You seem upset. Is it mad, sad, or scared?”
🧠 Emotional words = emotional power.
📞Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐Visit: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻Virtual & in-person appointments available
05/07/2025
🌿 It’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 🌿
So let’s have a little heart-to-heart with all the mamas out there:
💡 Did you know?
🔵1 in 5 moms experience a maternal mental health condition (anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD—you name it).
🔵75% of those women don’t get the help they need.
🔵Untreated maternal mental health issues can affect bonding, relationships, and even baby’s development—but the good news? Support changes everything. 💪
👀 So let’s normalize:
➡️ Crying in the Target parking lot
➡️ Wanting alone time AND missing your baby at the same time
➡️ Wondering “is this normal?” 6x a day
➡️ Asking for help (it's actually a power move)
✨ Here are 5 tiny-but-mighty ways to care for your mental health as a mom:
⚡️Go outside (even if it’s just the porch).
⚡️Say “yes” to help, and “no” to guilt.
⚡️Find a few minutes a day that are just for you—no laundry allowed.
⚡️Talk to someone who gets it (friends, support groups, therapists).
⚡️Remind yourself: you’re doing better than you think. 💛
Wherever you are on the motherhood journey—pregnant, postpartum, chasing toddlers, running kids to practice or dealing with teens—we see you. And we’re here for you.
If you're struggling (or know someone who is), reach out. Therapy and support can make motherhood lighter, healthier, and more connected. 💕
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Early Connections Institute (ECI) is a specialized program aimed at promoting early relationships and mental health for women, infants and young children. ECI offers therapeutic services for pregnant mothers as well as mothers with children ages birth to 6 years. This innovative program incorporates a variety of treatment modalities informed by infant mental health principles and developmental psychology. These relationship based practices are intended to treat perinatal mood disorders and to promote relational health for moms and their babies. At ECI we know that mental health truly starts during pregnancy and at birth which is why our unique program employs a dyadic approach keeping the mother-child relationship at the center of treatment. This is done by promoting mental health and well-being for parents so they can provide the kind of responsive caregiving that will support their infant/young child’s social emotional development. The science is clear: sensitive and consistent early relationships serve as one of the best predictors for positive outcomes in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. At ECI we are devoted to creating strong foundations for mothers, families and young children by offering a wide array of flexible treatment options designed to grow with families.
ECI TREATMENT OPTIONS:
Prenatal Mental Health Services
Treatment of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs)
Transition and adjustment to pregnancy
Preparation for entering motherhood
Childbearing losses
Infertility Struggles
Post-Partum Mental Health Services
Support for difficult labor & delivery, birth trauma as well as treatment and screening for PMADs etc
Support with role transition for mothers, fathers and couples
Referrals for layers of support (i.e. breastfeeding support, medication management if needed etc.)
Infant or Pregnancy loss
Infant Mental Health Informed Services (Birth to 3 years)
Early bonding and attachment concerns
Developmental screenings/ assessments
Developmental guidance
Therapy for parents of young children with prior history of unresolved grief, loss, separations and/or trauma
Early Childhood Relational Services (4-6 years)
Mental, emotional and/or behavioral concerns
Parent-child relational therapy and play therapy
Families needing support with big life changes (i.e. traumatic life events, divorce, grief, loss, adoption, moves etc.)
