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Behavioral Health in Infants and Preschoolers (BeHIP)

The Behavioral Health in Infants and Preschoolers (BEHIP) grant aims to provide a continuum of care that address the mental health needs of infants and preschool age children, particularly those with clear risk factors such as NICU histories, prematurity/low birth weight, in-utero exposure to substances, or other major environmental risk factors for early socio-emotional health issues. The grant addresses this continuum of care for children and their families aged 0-7 years through a range of clinical and community services ranging from screening, promotion and prevention activities, treatment intervention, and training. Specifically, services include (a) screening of parent/child needs in the UMMC NICU Inpatient setting and High-Risk Follow-up Clinic, (b) provision of consultation and behavioral treatment for parents in the NICU, (c) treatment of infant and behavioral health problems using evidence-based interventions (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; Child Parent Psychotherapy; Brief Behavioral Intervention) for infants and toddlers, (d) providing evidence-based behavioral prevention trainings including Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) and Teacher-Child Interaction Training TCIT) to early childcare settings, school personnel, and any community adult (e.g., allied health providers) to address and promote positive social-emotional health, and (e) supporting dissemination and implementation of infant and early childhood services across the state in community mental health, particularly for providers interested in PCIT. Referrals for clinical services such as PCIT or infant mental health issues (e.g., trauma, attachment, sleep) can be made to the CAY Clinic.

 

For those interested in receiving CARE or TCIT training, please contact Dr. Dustin Sarver (dsarver@umc.edu; 601-815-5994) or Ann Skelton (askelton@umc.edu).

 

If you are a behavioral health provider or agency interested in receiving training in PCIT, please contact Dr. Sarver to discuss options for supporting training and PCIT implementation.