COMPETENCIES: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES ACROSS FIVE STATES

Transcription

1 COMPETENCIES: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES ACROSS FIVE STATES This session provided an in-depth analysis of infant and early childhood mental health competencies across five states. Participants had the opportunity to discuss and add to the analysis presented in this session. Participants also discussed the processes other states have used in the development and implementation of competencies. The current study is being conducted by the Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, Illinois. This session was facilitated by Linda Eggbeer of ZERO TO THREE. Eboni Howard and Aimee Hilado, Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy, Erikson Institute, Chicago, Illinois Eboni Howard and Aimee Hilado shared copies of their powerpoint presentation and a two-page fact sheet, which gave an overview of the study and the states represented. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, examined early childhood mental health policies and programs in California, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan and Vermont. The areas of study included: Assessment and screening Consultation and service provision Workforce development However, workforce development was the focus of this session. The five BIG questions in early childhood mental health (ECMH) included in this study are as follows: What are competencies? Understanding: o Infant, toddler, and preschool development o Normal and atypical development o Biological and psychosocial development o Relationship development o Observation o Self-reflection o Risk and resiliency o Emotional/behavioral disorders

2 Additional competencies include: o Interdisciplinary collaboration o Ethics o Safety and self-care training o Supervision o Case management o Community resources and referral training Who is an ECMH specialist? o Social workers o Psychologists o Counselors o School psychologists o Psychiatrists o Psychiatric nurse practitioners o Child care/early care and education providers o Doulas What are the types of ECMH training programs? Formats: o Bi-yearly training sessions o Intensive 2-year programs o Conferences offered throughout the year Requirements: o Coursework (undergraduate and graduate levels) o Clinical experience o Supervision Locations: o Academic institutions o Community agencies o Private organizations Where are ECMH training programs housed? o State Departments of Mental Health o Departments of Education o Early Intervention Programs o Social Work Programs o Departments of Medicine (Psychology/Psychiatry) o Private and public service organizations o Other organizations

3 Each state s ECMH competencies were compared across: Age of focus Levels of competency Program format Progress in implementation Content areas of competency The study also compared: Similarities in ECMH competencies Differences in competencies Differences in training Differences in age levels Differences in purpose Eboni and Aimee concluded their portion of the formal discussion by posing three implications/questions for participants to consider in terms of possible directions for the field in the area of competencies: 1) How are we going about developing competencies as a field? 2) Are these really early childhood competencies? 3) How do we create a training program for professionals? Discussion/Q & A Very pleased and excited to see the competencies and the work growing. When they first began to develop the competencies, there was no language or structure and now there are both. We are also building the field of qualified professionals across disciplines. The Michigan competencies are clearly tied to training and not just endorsement. There is reciprocity across particular states as well. Penny Knapp (CA) Wanted to clarify a few issues presented in the study: First 5 California Children and Families Commission funded the California Department of Mental Health to develop mental health services for the youngest children. WestEd Center for Prevention and Early Intervention was the contractor who provided these services. When the funding ended, mental health training continued because each county has its own First 5 funding. While California is not pursuing endorsement as it relates to licensure, the state is advancing the process of developing competencies to move toward endorsement.

4 There was also an effort to maintain diversity in terms of the types of training settings, services and programs used to educate professionals in multiple disciplines. There are practicum programs in county mental health settings, both urban and rural. Some settings have universities and/or hospitals. They wanted to link haves and have-nots. Number of supervision hours needed is generally anchored in mental health settings. The goal was for people trained on DSM to look at the DC-0-3R and to crosswalk with other related resources. Shared the costs of adopting Michigan s competencies as some states have done or are considering: Competencies for 3 years = $12, Renewable fee = $1, Competencies + endorsement = $15, Deborah added that Vermont s competencies are available online. Karen Freel (IL) Illinois is considering the similarities and differences with Michigan s competencies and has taken a long time to do this. The state just received a grant, and there is an infanttoddler credential in process. They are considering how to integrate with Michigan s competencies. Competencies are not precise for 0-3 in some states. Because competencies are so broad, teachers may not always have the appropriate expertise. There is a need for a national set of standards. Kristie Brandt Dr. Ed Tronick, who worked with the Child Development Unit at Boston University Hospital, worked on training guidelines. He interviewed experts and asked, What are the core competencies? He then reviewed the literature. Though Michigan s competencies are very good, other states were encouraged to also review Dr. Tronick s work on entry-level core competencies. Developing competencies is a process. It is the opportunity within a reflective process to integrate knowledge over time. Eboni Howard (IL) The cultural perspective is also important: considering the parent, child and ethnic background in terms of the work. The workforce, as well as the disciplines being trained, must be culturally competent.

5 Penny Knapp (CA) In California, the plan was to have cultural competence training for university settings and for practice settings. Gerry Costa (NJ) The Training Teleconference Network discussed the need for a national set of competencies. Our field touches all disciplines but there are specialties. Some of the important questions around this issue are, When states adopt a set of competencies, what does this mean in terms of licensing boards? What does this mean in terms of driving the market, training, etc.? We have to consider what it means to articulate agreements with licensing boards and universities. Pamela Segal (NM) In New Mexico, the Higher Education Task Force is looking at the University of New Mexico and a number of community colleges. The task force is moving toward A.A. and B.A. degrees and writing curricula to infuse information about brain development and the importance of early relationships. Our Higher Education Task Force bought the Michigan competencies and endorsement, but it took years. We started as a task force and developed into an association. At Las Cumbres Institute, we have a two-year curriculum in which mentors support trainees through monthly meetings, reading assignments and field experiences. Trainees also participate in a weekend retreat three times a year. Trainees have two face-to-face meetings a month and phone contacts with mentors. A diversity of disciplines are represented. Trainees receive a certificate and are encouraged to move through the endorsement process. Susan Kaplan (IL) Understands that the focus on 0-3 provides the foundation for development, but are there competencies that should be included for the 3-5 age range? Eboni Howard (IL) Some of the competencies show up in the Early Learning Guidelines. Danielle Wells (NJ) Developed a passion for this work after the IECMH Summit in 2005 and changed her thesis topic. Are there any competencies that speak to the importance of parents to the assessment process? Eboni Howard (IL) Some competencies do list parents, families, foster parents and grandparents; however, they are not at the top of the list, probably because they are not considered central to the training program. Parents do recognize when someone has an endorsement in this field and are often respectful of that.

6 Nancy Seibel (ZTT) How do we distinguish 0-3 versus 0-5..parent development driven by infant/toddler development? Kim Diamond-Berry (ZTT) Noticed that Michigan was the only state that added self-care and safety of specialists as part of the language of the competencies. Are other states considering this or moving in this direction to include this language? Pamela Segal (NM) All workers have cell phones and are encouraged to travel with someone to remote areas. We also provide reflective supervision as part of the training. Because our work is home-based, self-care and safety is a natural part of our work. Linda Eggbeer (ZTT) ZERO TO THREE would like to assist with this process and can help by making available to the field what states are doing with regard to this work. Other issues to consider would be how to build stakeholders and who needs to be at the table.