Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC) is a relationship-based, collaborative support designed to improve the capacity of early childhood education professionals to promote children's mental health. Individuals from a variety of professions, including social work, counseling, psychology, education, and health care, may choose to provide I/ECMH consultation with additional support and training in the Illinois Model. Qualified consultants can apply for approval to be listed in a statewide, searchable, database of I/ECMH Consultants. This database is promoted across Illinois as a valuable resource for early childhood education programs interested in engaging with a trained consultant.

Consultants interested in being listed on the database should do the following:

• Join the Gateways Registry
• Complete the I/ECMHC Database Application
• Submit the application and required documentation (see application for details)

Qualifications

Applicants will be evaluated based on the Professional Competencies Rubric shown on the last page of the application. If you do not meet the specific requirements as outlined in the I/ECMHC application, please contact us. Consideration will be given to consultants who have comparable Master's Degrees (ex. Education, Public Health, Human Services), with additional work experience and specialized professional development. Examples of additional cour sework or training can include the Infant Mental Health certificate from Erikson Institute, or the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Credential from the ILAIMH. Those with specific work experience (greater than 5 years) in early childhood programs, coupled with a Master's Degree will be carefully considered to ensure alignment with the Illinois I/ECMHC model and the core competencies

Requirements

Consultants approved for the database must:

• Complete the Illinois Model of I/ECMHC Consultation Orientation within 1 year of approval, if not already completed
• Update their Gateways Registry Membership at least annually
• Enter data related to consultation activity for purposes of statewide aggregated reporting, once available

Getting Assistance

If you need assistance with joining the Gateways Registry or have questions about the I/ECMHC application, send us an email.

Resources

• Top 5 Reasons to Join the Consultant Database

This project was made possible by grant number 90TP0057. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.