Meeting the emotional needs of infants and toddlers in foster care: The collaborative mental health care experience

Evelyn Wotherspoon; Marlene O'Neill-Laberge; June Pirie

doi:10.1002/imhj.20185

Meeting the emotional needs of infants and toddlers in foster care: The collaborative mental health care experience

Infant Ment Health J. 2008 Jul;29(4):377-397. doi: 10.1002/imhj.20185.

Authors

Evelyn Wotherspoon¹, Marlene O'Neill-Laberge¹, June Pirie¹

Affiliation

¹ Calgary Health Region.

PMID: 28636157
DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20185

Abstract

This paper describes a partnership between an infant mental health consultation program and child welfare authorities, with a special focus on the use of a consultation model to support infants and toddlers in foster care. The authors describe a model of practice that incorporates the transactional model with a developmental perspective to help foster parents understand and address the emotional needs of these children. The clinical implications section reviews strategies for addressing attachment and relationship disturbances, promoting self-regulation, and enhancing social competence in infants and young foster children.