Parenting infants and young children is deeply meaningful—and often hard work. Families deserve mental health support that feels seamless, welcoming, and respectful of their expertise. This presentation shares how an infant and early childhood mental health program designed its birth-to-six service flow to reduce wait times, strengthen attachment-focused care, and ensure that each family receives the help they need when they need it. Grounded in collaboration and respect for cultural, relational, and developmental contexts, the model integrates a range of clinical interventions, including ASQ-3/ASQ-SE developmental screening, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Circle of Security, the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM), Theraplay-informed approaches, and caregiver education.
Participants will learn how a clear, relational service flow beginning at intake to treatment planning, service delivery and getting on track can help caregivers feel seen, supported, and confident, while also helping clinicians guide families toward the right intervention at the right time.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe key elements of a seamless, family-centered service pathway for infants and young children.  

2. Identify how early developmental screening and collaborative intake conversations strengthen trust and partnership with caregivers.  

3. Determine how to guide families toward interventions that are aligned with their hopes, strengths, and capacity.  

4. Recognize how attachment-based frameworks (COS, MIM, Theraplay) and brief, family-friendly models (SFBT, education) support early emotional development.