Instituto Familiar de La Raza Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation San Francisco, CA 6/18/09

Presented by Presented by Germán Walteros, LMFT Associate Director Cassandra Coe, LCSW Early Intervention Coordinator

Philosophy and History La Cultura Cura – Culture Heals thus all healing practices occur within a cultural framework and that healing is about community building and empowerment. As such, clinical practice expand to encompass multiple settings and relationships, and in the ECMH program, the natural community environments lend themselves to powerful healing venues. Integrate private and public experience.

History Continued IFR’s program grew out of work being done with family child care providers- (1986), an effort to support primarily monolingual/monocultural family childcare providers to recognize, value, and trust their own intuitive caring practices. These efforts led to supporting the providers develop bicultural practices and integrate multiple approaches to childcare. The Infant Parent Program (UCSF) with support from Foundations implemented in the late 1980’s the first formal Mental Health Consultation Program in SF. Model expanded in 1999 when there was an effort by infant-parent clinicians in the provider community that resulted in Foundations supporting citywide funding.

IFR ECMH Consultation Model Well being (mental health) is viewed through the interplay of cultural and clinical lenses. “La Cultura Cura”- Culture heals and “Tu eres mi otro yo”- you are my other self. Relationship-based developmental approach focusing on strengths within the cultural context of the family and the childcare center Client-centered, child-focused promoting reflective practices with consultants and care providers. Consultation is understood as it is experienced and contingent on relationships and ever changing dynamics.

Relationship based and Reflective Model Enhancing and promoting positive relationships between adult-adult; adult-child; parent-child and child-child is at the core of our practice to create optimal learning and developmental environments. Consultation begins with developing positive relationships with staff by BEING empathic, respectful, reflective, consistent, and a good listener. Assumptions: 1) all learning takes place in the context of relationships and is strongly impacted by the quality of these relationships. 2) all behavior has meaning.

Parallel Process Reflection begins with the consultant’s attunement to their own internal process and it’s relationship to the experience of consultation. The reflective stance during consultation creates an opening for teachers to understand their internal experience which we believe leads them to hence begin to reflect upon the internal experience of a child. Through this process, the child and family begin to build their own capacity for self-reflection. Wondering with care providers empowers their own knowing and arrive at solutions that resonate from within and are not externally imposed. Empathic listening and reflection through supervision impacts consultants to do so with teachers and thus, teachers with children.

Culture as the Field La Cultura Cura is the belief that each culture has a set of healing practices and coping mechanisms embedded in it. Tu eres mi otro yo/You are my other self is recognition that we are all interrelated and interdependent and you are the mirror of my own experience. Thus, the subject is not the “I” but the “We”. Cultural empathy- checking assumptions and engaging families from a strengths based perspective. Consultant appreciates and explores cultural values of teachers and families and seeks to support the strengths within those values. Fluidity and flexibility within the boundaries- mental health consultant attunes to the needs of the situation and adapts in response to those needs. (sometimes we are the expert, but often we are joining as partners in supporting a community (classroom or otherwise).

Consultation Practice Staff to represent the culture and language needs of families and staff being served. Acknowledge that culture exists. Have a clear articulated model that grounds consultants in the practice. Ongoing training and weekly supervision to support staff and hold their experience in such a way that they are better prepared to hold the experience of their sites.

Consultation Practice Regular team meetings to reinforce the core principles of the model. (ie. Reflective case presentations) Understand clinical concepts live within a cultural framework. Honor that all cultures and spiritual beliefs have practices that are healing. Support and encourage consultant’s development of self-awareness and explore what it is to be the “other”. Behavior has meaning!