Track 12
Supporting Mental Health in Young Children 0-8

Jen Gilliard, Ph.D., L.C.P.C.
Child and Family Therapist, Through a Child’s Eyes Family Clinic, Professor, University of Montana Western,
Jan Frederick, OTR
Help at Home Therapy
Janet Speirer, M.A./ECSE
Retired Educator

This track is based on research (New theoretical, practical and empirical knowledge from the young but growing field of infant mental health has taught us that emotional development in the earliest years of life sets the stage for all later development” (Chazan-Cohen, Jerald, & Stark, 2001, p. 4). indicating that the emotional wellness of young children is fostered in secure, warm relationships with parents and other caregivers and critical to healthy early development and later school success. For children with early signs of distress and behavioral challenges, appropriate and early intervention strategies can prevent a lifetime of increasingly intense and complex problems. Participants will discuss mental health in young children (0-8) from developmental and cultural perspectives and explore curriculum and instruction that support healthy attachment and sensory integration in young children. As an added bonus this track will include training in infant massage therapy.

Who should attend? Anyone working with young children birth through age eight.

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