Louisiana Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is a group of licensed mental health professionals who provide ECMHC services to young children in various settings such as child care centers or elementary schools. The Louisiana ECMHC group is part of the Tulane Institute for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation or ECMHC is a method of su
pporting the healthy development of young children. All Louisiana ECMHC consultants are licensed mental health professionals (e.g., a licensed clinical social worker) with specialized training in infant and early childhood mental health. Consultants also participate in intensive and ongoing training and supervision in early childhood mental health consultation. Our ECMHC program has three main goals:
• To promote the social and emotional health of young children.
• To support teachers’ promotion of healthy child development within the classroom .
• To refer for treatment and/or design behavior support plans for young children with challenging behaviors at school and at home. Some of our current programs are:
Quality Start ECMHC: Consultants for the Quality Start program provide 6 months of free ECMHC to child care centers participating in the Quality Start Quality Rating and Improvement System or the Act 3 Network Pilot Program. There are 12 consultants providing services across the state. To request a Quality Start ECMHC for your center or school please contact mgagnon@tulane.edu. Charter School ECMHC: Several charter schools in the New Orleans area have participated in ECMHC for their early elementary grades. Developmental and Clinical Psychologists work with elementary school teachers to support social emotional development, which is key component of the foundation for academic success. For questions related to Louisiana ECMHC please contact Allison Boothe, PhD at aboothe@tulane.edu.
