Department of Psychiatry

Irving Harris Program in Child Development
and Infant Mental Health

Clinical Training Sites

Kempe Center Therapeutic Preschool

The Kempe Therapeutic Preschool, supported by the Kempe Children’s Center and the Department of Pediatrics, is a licensed day treatment program for children between 3-6 years of age who have been physically or sexually abused, chronically neglected, or psychologically maltreated.  The Preschool provides these children with day psychiatric services that would not be available to them in other day care or preschool facilities.  To meet the therapeutic and educational needs of these children, the staff provides a safe, predictable environment that allows the children to develop trusting relationships, positive self-concepts, and acceptable social interactions.  In addition to providing services to the children, the program has a family treatment component to more aggressively involve the children's caregivers, uses treatment contracts for all families, and conducts staffings for all children that include appropriate community and school workers.  Program staff also provides training and consultation to local community day care and preschool programs.  For additional information, see the Kempe Children’s Center Website.

Harris Fellows placed at The Preschool are an integral part of the services provided to the children and their families.  They provide intensive weekly individual therapy sessions to each child on their caseload.  They also complete intake and diagnostic evaluations and formulate a treatment plan for each child with whom they begin treatment.  As part of the assessment for each child in the preschool, cognitive assessments are also completed by the Harris Fellows.  Harris Fellows spend a portion of their time with the children in the classroom, observing the children’s social behavior and working with Preschool staff to reinforce particular behavior management techniques.  Harris Fellows also have weekly contact with the care providers for the children on their caseload, which may involve parent-child psychotherapy or parent guidance.

The Haven

The Haven Therapeutic Community is a residential treatment facility for women addicted to substances of abuse, and is one of several licensed clinical programs operated by Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS), which is part of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences School of Medicine.  The Haven offers comprehensive addiction treatment to adult women, including psychiatric care.  Pregnant women and women actively parenting young children who live with them at The Mother’s House receive a parenting curriculum designed specifically to meet their needs as well as ancillary infant mental health services.  For additional information, see The Haven's Website and follow the links for "Treatment Services" and then "Residential Treatment Services for Women and Children."

Harris Fellows working at The Haven provide both adult and infant mental health services to the pregnant and parenting women residing at The Haven.  Adult mental health services include individual therapy, group therapy, referrals for psychiatric evaluation, and, at times, psychological testing.  Infant mental health services include individual (with the parent), group, and parent-child dyadic therapy.  Consistent with the field of infant mental health, mother-child dyads receive treatment from one primary therapist, who provides integrated adult-infant mental health treatment. 

Parent education and parenting support at The Haven includes a series of group interventions led by Harris Fellows and Dr. Bromberg.  One group intervention is designed specifically to address parenting concerns, while also addressing the intricacies involved in parenting in recovery.  Another component of The Haven’s parenting program is the Partners in Parenting Education’s “How to Read Your Baby” curriculum.  This interactive curriculum and instructional model is taught in two segments.  Once a week the women parenting at The Haven attend a ‘How to Read Your Baby’ group during which time a specific parenting topic is taught, such as understanding stages of alertness, temperament, and establishing care routines for children.  Later in the same week, the women meet again and bring their children to practice the topic learned earlier in the week.  This method of instruction, including supervised practice, has been shown to enhance learning.
Harris Fellows also complete developmental testing for all infants residing at The Haven at six-month intervals.  Instruments utilized for the developmental assessments include the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Behavior Rating Scale (BRS) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd Edition).  If concern is noted as a result of the assessment, proper referrals are made, including to pediatricians and occupational, physical, and speech therapists. 

Postpartum Depression (PPD) Program

The Kempe Center's Postpartum Depression Intervention Program, supported by the Kempe Children’s Center and the Department of Pediatrics, is an evaluation and support program for mothers who are suffering from postpartum depression and their infants and partners.  The intervention program provides evaluation as well as psychopharmacological, group, and dyadic intervention in the Mother-Infant Therapy Program designed by Roseanne Clark (UW SOM).  For additional information, see www.kempe.org/ppd and the PPD Program's educational offerings.

Harris Fellows placed at the Postpartum Depression Intervention program are an integral part of the services provided to these mothers and infants.  They participate in the intake and diagnostic evaluations, and formulate a treatment plan for each mother and infant. They provide individual support to the infant and guidance to the dyad weekly as part of a larger group treatment.  In addition, there are opportunities to educate other professionals about postpartum depression and participate in research.

Project CLIMB (Consultation & Liaison in Mental Health & Behavior)

Project CLIMB is a collaborative effort between the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Child Health Clinic at The Children’s Hospital to facilitate early identification and treatment of mental health and behavioral issues within a primary pediatric care setting and to increase access to mental health services in an underserved population. The Child Health Clinic is the main source of pediatric primary care and continuity clinics at The Children’s Hospital, serving 18,000 children each year. Project CLIMB is staffed by a transdisciplinary team, which includes a psychiatrist, psychologist, pediatricians, postdoctoral fellow, psychiatry fellows, psychology interns, pediatric residents, and staff from the Child Health Clinic. The team provides developmental interventions, diagnostic assessments, medication evaluations, staff consultation and training, psychosocial and behavioral group and individual interventions, and recommendations for treatment of infants, children and adolescents seen in a primary care setting.

With CLIMB, Fellows provide consultation, assessment, and treatment to infants and young children in the primary care setting. Treatment modalities include developmental and psychoeducational interventions during well-child visits using the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program, individual and family consultation to young children and their families, consultation and staff training, co-facilitation of post-partum depression groups, and assessment and screening for psychological and behavioral difficulties. A central focus of the rotation involves ongoing collaboration with primary care physicians in developing and delivering coordinated and comprehensive services that include both pediatric and mental health components to infants and young children and their families.

Early Head Start Mental Health Consultation

Catholic Charities Early Head Start programs promote family and child development through a partnership involving staff, family, children, and the local community. The goal of these programs is to provide quality Child Care and early childhood education for children ages 6 weeks to 3 years by using developmentally appropriate practices in the context of a safe and nurturing environment. The programs operate under a philosophy that each child is unique and to be respected and valued as an individual. The role of the Early Head Start programs is to guide and support children’s development and learning experiences through individualized care and attention with a focus on social competence.

Harris Fellows assigned to the Early Head Start placement will provide classroom-based observation and intervention consultation to teachers in infant and toddler classrooms in one or more of three Early Head Start centers in Denver. In addition, Fellows will work with teachers to identify children that may need additional individual or family support to optimize their learning and development in the classroom. They also work with the Disabilities Director to make appropriate referrals for community-based mental health and other early intervention services. Finally, Fellows may have an opportunity to provide mental health consultation through working with children and families who are participating in a home-based Early Head Start program. Children in the Early Head Start programs ethnically diverse and several are primarily Spanish-speaking.