The goal of a mental health consultant working in early childhood settings is the promotion of mental wellness and the fostering of positive social relationships in children.

A 2005 study by Yale University’s Ed Ziglar Child Development Center found that 6.7 children out of 1,000 are expelled from preschool each year, three times the expulsion rate from kindergarten through high school. Yet preschool teachers who have access to mental health consultants are about half as likely to expel a child compared to teachers who lack such support, according to a report that looked at 3,898 preschool classes in 40 states.

Another recent study in 89 classrooms by Tulane University’s Early Childhood and Infant Mental Health Institute links mental health help offered there to better behavior and learning and happier classroom climates.

The mental health consultant, in early childhood or preschool settings, helps young children learn the social and emotional skills they need for life. Children need to learn to get along with people, to respond appropriately to them, and to become aware of how their actions affect other people and how other people’s actions affect them. To be more specific, they need to learn cooperation, self-control, trust, independence, curiosity, empathy, and communication. In addition, preschool children must learn to inhibit impulsive behavior, become reflective, interpersonally sensitive, goal-oriented, respectful of others’ space and belongings, and develop friendships.

In addition, the mental health consultant identifies children with special needs that have often resulted from violence, abuse, prenatal substance abuse, loss due to incarceration or death, or living in foster care or with multiple caregivers. Such experiences have often significantly affected the lives of children who show serious emotional and behavioral problems, such as learning disabilities, speech or language disorders, emotional or behavioral disorders.

The mental health consultant also helps with parent support issues including stress related issues, finding resources, acquiring job training, etc. Parent workshops and one-on-one consultations with parents are essential to help parents implement some of the learning activities that young people are experiencing in the classroom, as well as to address concerns that parents may have regarding with personal parenting problems and needs.

Over the course of a work day, in addition to scheduled meetings with parents, the mental health consultant conducts classroom observations to assess and assess, ensure supportive responses to meet children’s needs, and conduct scheduled staff development workshops focused on strategies for dealing with problem behaviors. and attention problems.