Early Connections Institute (ECI) is a specialized program aimed at promoting early relationships and mental health for women and young children.
01/06/2026
Struggling with screen time at home?
Join us for our Parent-Child Screen Time Wellness Workshop
🗓 This Saturday, January 10
⏰ 2:00–3:15 pm
📍 ECI Office in Brighton, MI
🔗 Register here: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
Screens are part of modern childhood. But research continues to highlight four foundational harms when screen use replaces connection and regulation.
This is not about eliminating screens or blaming parents. It is about understanding how screens impact developing brains and learning how to support children in a digital world.
In this workshop, we will talk about
➡️How screens affect development
➡️Why behavior often worsens after screens
➡️How to support regulation without power struggles
This is a judgment free space for real parents navigating real challenges.
Save this post. Share with a parent who might need it…
And join us this Saturday 🤍
01/05/2026
You do not have to be perfect to be exactly what your baby needs.💛
The idea of the good enough mother reminds us that growth does not come from getting everything right. It comes from safety, presence, and small moments of space where babies learn to trust, cope, and grow.
This is one of the topics we will explore together in the Nurturing New Mothers Support Group at Early Connections Institute.
A warm, in person space for pregnant and new moms to connect, learn, and feel supported. Babies in arms are always welcome.
The group begins February 17 and meets Tuesdays from 6:15 to 7:30 pm in Brighton.
If you are navigating early motherhood and craving education, reassurance, and community, you are not alone. We would love to hold space for you!
Send us a message to register or register through: EarlyConnectionsInstitute.com.
12/25/2025
Happy Holidays!🎄✨ We are grateful to walk alongside you and wish you a season filled with light connection and peace.
12/18/2025
Nurturing New Mothers Support Group 💛✨
Motherhood is beautiful and it can also feel overwhelming. Emotional changes, identity shifts, and new responsibilities can bring both joy and uncertainty. You do not have to navigate it alone.
Early Connections Institute is offering a 6 week in person support group for pregnant and new mothers beginning February 17th. This group is a safe, welcoming space to connect with other moms, learn about emotional and infant development, and build confidence and coping tools during this tender season.
Topics include understanding infancy, responding to crying, postpartum emotions, family dynamics, and the concept of the good enough mother letting go of perfection and trusting yourself.
Babies in arms are always welcome 💛
Each participant also receives a Nourish Kit with local gifts and resources to support your journey.
📍 In person at Early Connections Institute in Brighton
🗓 Tuesdays from 6:15 to 7:30 pm beginning February 17th
The holiday season can bring up more emotion than most people talk about. Stress, grief, family dynamics, expectations, and rapid routine changes can all affect how you feel…
If this time of year feels heavier or more complex, you are not doing anything wrong. Your response makes sense.❤️
These reminders are here to help you slow down, check in with yourself, and create space for what you actually need. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to set limits. You are allowed to feel something different from what the season suggests.
If you notice this time of year is affecting your mental or emotional well being, reaching out for support can make a meaningful difference. You deserve care too.
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
12/05/2025
Kids communicate through behavior long before they have the language to express what’s actually going on inside them…
Whining often means “I feel disconnected.”
Anger often means “I’m hurting.”
Jealousy often means “I need reassurance that I matter.”
Tantrums often mean “My nervous system is overwhelmed.”
Defiance often means “I feel scared or powerless.”
When we shift from reacting to understanding, everything changes.
Because underneath every challenging behavior is a child asking for safety, connection, and co-regulation.
Supporting the behavior starts with seeing the need.💛
12/02/2025
So what happens when free time is replaced with screen time? The algorithm steps in‼️
And it starts choosing what your child sees, learns, and even values. It narrows their interests, hijacks their attention, and shapes their emotional development in ways that don’t reflect who they are — or your guidance as a parent.
The algorithm doesn’t care about your child’s character, autonomy, or well-being… But real play does. Real life does. You do.
💙 Join us on January 10th for our parent-child wellness workshop on algorithms, screens, and real world development. Registration link in bio!
11/22/2025
Children today are growing up in a digital world their developing brains were never designed for…
Changes in mood, sleep, attention, and behavior often reflect overwhelm from constant stimulation rather than “bad habits” or defiance. Screens can shape emotional development in powerful ways, especially when algorithms begin choosing what children see before they fully understand how it works.
In our upcoming Parent–Child Wellness Workshop on Screen Time and Digital Balance, we’ll explore how modern screen use impacts the developing brain, why the algorithm has such a strong pull on children, and why free play and outdoor time remain essential for emotional and cognitive growth!
Through hands-on learning, parents and children will gain simple tools to build healthier screen habits with connection rather than conflict.
📅 Saturday, January 10th, 2026
🕒 2:00 to 3:15 PM
📍 ECI Office, Brighton, MI
To register, visit: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
We’d love to support your family in this gentle and meaningful space. 💛
11/17/2025
Many children who appear unfocused, impulsive, or “hyper” are actually experiencing emotional overwhelm, sensory stress, or internal worries…
These behaviors aren’t defiance — they’re communication!
Our upcoming Parent–Child Wellness Workshop, Reframing ADHD with Compassion, helps families look beneath the behavior with curiosity, connection, and emotional understanding.
Together, we’ll explore:
• What ADHD-like behaviors may really be signaling
• How emotions show up as restlessness or inattention
• Why regulation starts with connection
• Simple tools parents and children can use together
📅 Saturday, December 13th, 2025
🕒 2:00–3:15 PM
📍 ECI Office • Brighton, MI
This workshop is hands-on, supportive, and designed for parents and children to attend together.
Registration available at: earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
We’d love to support your family in this space. 💙
11/06/2025
A self-care jar is a simple but powerful tool for emotional regulation❤️
Write down small things that help you feel grounded, calm, or joyful — then pull one out whenever you need a reminder to care for yourself. You deserve it!
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
11/03/2025
November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. 💙
A reminder to every man who feels like he has to stay strong for everyone else, you don’t have to carry it alone.
It’s okay to ask for help.
It’s okay to talk about what hurts.
It’s okay to slow down and take care of yourself.
Therapy isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.
Checking in with yourself is one of the strongest things you can do.
Let’s normalize men’s mental health. Because strength starts with honesty. 🧠💬
📞 Call us at: 810-845-2133
🌐 earlyconnectionsinstitute.com
💻 Virtual & in-person appointments available
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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.)
