Infant Mental Health Program (IMH)

Desert View Infant Mental Health (IMH) Program

Decades worth of research, supplemented by new technology, has allowed for observation of how the child brain changes. Its also revealed the extraordinary capacity of the infant/toddler brain to grow and change during the first few years of their life. Through scans of the brain, that same technology shows the physical evidence of emotional issues in the brain, reflecting the importance of early social and emotional development, specifically attachment and regulation. The higher the level of trauma suffered by toddlers and infants, the more important early intervention becomes. Therefore, Desert View has chosen to restructure the delivery of clinical services for our Infant Mental Health (IMH) Program around Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).

CPP is an intervention model for children aged 0-5 who have experienced at least one traumatic event and/or are experiencing mental health, attachment, and/or behavioral problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder. The treatment is based in attachment theory but also integrates psychodynamic, developmental, trauma, social learning, and cognitive behavioral theories. Therapeutic sessions include the child and parent or primary caregiver. The primary goal of CPP is to support and strengthen the relationship between a child and his or her caregiver as a vehicle for restoring the child’s cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. Treatment also focuses on contextual factors that may affect the caregiver-child relationship.

Infant Mental Health Therapist for Desert View:

  • Yolanda Barber (2 years experience) and
  • Samantha Lowery (1 years experience)