People are often surprised to learn that mental health treatments exist for babies and toddlers, but in fact this is an opportune age to recognize and address any early signs of mental struggles, in order to prevent further issues down the road. Children’s brains at this age are extremely elastic, meaning that treatments can be more effective and long-lasting. Randomized controlled trials have shown that therapies designed for this age group improve behaviors and symptoms in both child and caregiver.

Therapy sessions for this age group will involve working with caregiver and child together on the following tasks: understanding and responding to each other’s cues, talking and playing through difficult experiences, creating a family story, improving the child’s sense of safety, and strengthening the caregiver-child relationship. Modalities for working with this age group include Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT).

Most frequently these treatments are appropriate for children who have witnessed or experienced traumatic events, children who have significant behavioral problems, or children who are struggling to build secure attachments to adults. It is often useful for families who are fostering children or in the foster-to-adopt process.