Psychology, Counseling & Social Work

Tri-Psych awards 2023 Graduate Student Diversity Fund Grants

April 28, 2023

The Tri-Psychology Programs – Educational Psychology, Psychology, and the Institute of Child Development (ICD) – at the University of Minnesota are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Tri-Psych Graduate Student Diversity Fund grants. The goal of these awards is to build community and facilitate cross-departmental collaborations among Tri-Psych graduate students of color and/or student groups otherwise underrepresented in postsecondary education.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

Vanessa Wun and Andrea Wiglesworth (Psychology), Sarah Pan and Jasmine Banegas (ICD), Mahasweta Bose and Thuy Nguyen (Educational Psychology)

This project addresses a critical need for first-year PhD student mentorship by pairing first-year students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in psychology with experienced students within their program also from underrepresented backgrounds. This work builds on the unfunded graduate mentor program currently in ICD, as well as the Next-Gen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP). Importantly, it continues our efforts initiated through this funding platform in 2022, through which we founded the Diversity in Psychology Support (DIPS) mentorship program. DIPS aims to continue to increase a sense of belongingness and self-efficacy while also reducing imposter syndrome for incoming cohorts by pairing individuals with a more senior student who can provide support, answer questions, and encourage the mentee in their degree progress during the first year. Ideally, these mentorship relationships would last beyond the first year, and provide longer-term support for students throughout the program duration. These goals support our ultimate objective of retention of underrepresented students in graduate school.

Mirinda Morency and Norwood Glaspie (ICD), Jessica Arend (Psychology)

Paint Nite has emerged across the country as a creative way to bond with friends. Everyone in the class works towards creating their own version of the same painting while learning how to mix colors, apply paint on canvas, and create compositions. Last spring, ICD first years hosted a successful paint nite social, and attendees still talk today about their positive experience. Marginalized, underrepresented students are more likely to feel like they don’t belong at universities. Social belonging is key to success, so hosting events like Paint Nite can help address this issue. This also promotes Tri-Psych diversity initiatives in that it fosters a welcoming, affirming, and inclusive space to talk, spend time together, and participate in creating something unique. Doctoral programs in R1 universities are demanding, and so creative social events can also combat feelings of disconnection and burnout. The aims of this event are two-fold: (a) promote creativity, inclusivity and community, and (b) serve to sustain mental wellness and release stress.

Shujianing Li (Psychology), Thuy Nguyen (School Psychology), Romulus Castelo (ICD)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative sociopolitical, financial, and psychological consequences. As the general population experiences increased vulnerability to burnout, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students face additional distress from growing anti-AAPI racism. Moreover, conversations on mental health and racism are not normalized within the AAPI community, creating barriers for those needing psychological services and resources. To tackle these challenges, we will create a burnout prevention toolkit for AAPI undergraduate and graduate students. With the proposed toolkit, AAPI students will: 1) self-identify burnout, 2) discover grounding techniques and resources for immediate support, and 3) explore culturally informed practices that promote long-term psychological health. We will consult academic (e.g., peer-reviewed articles) and non-academic (e.g., advice from community advocates for other advocates) sources to inform the toolkit’s burnout prevention content. The final product is a wallet-size card deck, usable in electronic and physical forms. The toolkit will provide accessible and broadly applicable psychoeducation and actionable suggestions. While the toolkit could be beneficial for AAPI students in other departments, we will prioritize disseminating it to undergraduate and graduate students in the ICD, the Educational Psychology Department, and the Psychology Department.

Jessica Arend, Caroline Ostrand, Marvin Yan, Adrienne Manbeck, and Kate Carosella (Psychology); Mirinda Morency (ICD); Shayna Williams and Elizabeth Shaver (Educational Psychology)

We will deliver a three-part series on disability and inclusive access: 1) A guest speaker address on supporting students with disabilities and promoting accessibility in academia; 2) An affinity group discussion for self-identified graduate students with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodiversity. This meeting will provide space for students with shared experiences to reflect on the address together; and 3) A discussion open to all students, faculty, and staff, promoting education and informed action. Informed by the address, we will discuss ways to promote accessibility and equity for disabled-, chronically ill-, and neurodiverse-identifying students. All meetings will be in hybrid format, allowing for accessible remote or in-person participation. From these events, two student “editors” will compile a comprehensive list of resources on disability and accessibility for students and instructors/mentors. We will establish this series as a yearly tradition, and we will recruit a focus group of 10-15 students who self-identify as having disabilities, chronic illness, or neurodiversity to provide feedback about events and future areas of advocacy.

Now available for undergrads: New educational psychology research minor

November 2, 2021

The new minor gives undergraduate students hands-on research experience with faculty and a better understanding of how people think, learn, and grow.

In spring of 2022, the Department of Educational Psychology is launching a new educational psychology research minor for undergraduate students. The minor was designed for students majoring in educational psychology-related areas (e.g., education, psychology, or social sciences) who are interested in gaining research experience. Future educators looking to improve the effectiveness of their teaching through better understanding of evidence-based practices may also be interested in declaring the new minor. All University of Minnesota undergraduates may apply.

Kathy Seifert, director of undergraduate studies

“We are excited to introduce research to the next generation of educational psychologists,” says Kathy Seifert, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Educational Psychology, lecturer, and coordinator for the new minor.

According to Seifert, “Our goal is for students to complete the minor and be ready for what’s next—whether that’s including real-world research experience on their graduate school or job applications; using scientifically proven methods in their teaching; or just having a better understanding of how humans think, learn, and grow.”

Emily Bellinger recently earned her BS in psychology at the UMN. She has taken two of the core classes included in the new minor and is currently conducting research with Educational Psychology faculty.

Emily Bellinger, BS, Psychology, Educational Psychology Researcher

“Being involved in research has been one of the most beneficial and influential experiences during undergrad. I have not only had the opportunity to explore my interests in a capacity that helps to develop my knowledge and skills. But I have also had the chance to meet and connect with many amazing professionals in the field,” Bellinger says.

The Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota is consistently ranked among the top graduate programs in the country and was ranked number ten in 2021 which Seifert says is an advantage of the program.*

“Our faculty are some of the leading researchers in educational psychology. All of our minor students will have the opportunity to work with them on innovative and relevant research projects before they even complete their undergraduate degree.”

Undergraduate students will be able to declare an educational psychology research minor beginning in spring semester 2022.

*U.S. News & World Report, 2021

CEED, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare launch new podcast

October 7, 2021

Early Development and Child Welfare is a new podcast series co-created by CEED and our colleagues at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW). The series of 10 episodes covers a range of important aspects of child development and child welfare work. Subscribe for free with your favorite podcast app or listen on CASCW’s website.

“Infant mental health practitioners, social workers, and early childhood educators will find these podcasts useful and informative,” says Stacy Gehringer, MSW, LICSW, director of outreach at CASCW. “This content is also highly relevant for justice system workers like judges, guardians ad litem, and case managers. These child welfare professionals are asked to make recommendations for children and families, yet they may need more information on the basics of attachment or child development.”

A pair of headphones on a yellow background

The podcast format was chosen for its ability to deliver information in bite-sized segments that can be accessed while on the go. Both CASCW and CEED offer in-person and online professional development opportunities; however, the professionals who make up the podcast’s likely audience are often busy to the point of being overstretched.

“Practitioners want and need access to the latest research and best practices, but they don’t always have time to download, print, and read literature, or to sign up for an intensive course or training,” says Gehringer. “We hope that listeners can catch an episode in the car driving to or from visits with families, or perhaps listen while taking a walk.”

She adds that episodes can also be used as learning tools for child welfare units to spur discussion both within teams and with community members.

“These podcasts are a great resource for professionals who work directly with children and families, such as child care providers, educators and social workers,” says Ann Bailey, PhD, director of CEED. “They also cover core aspects of child development in a way that’s accessible for people who, perhaps, work with families only occasionally but still find they want to be better informed about the research and science of early childhood.”

Gehringer notes that several themes resurface again and again throughout the 10 podcast episodes. These themes include building relationships and understanding the cycle of rupture and repair; describing developmental, cultural, and infant mental health lenses for use in different fields; self-assessment and critical thinking; and parallel process, a fundamental principle of reflective supervision.

“We ask parents to establish trust and foundational feelings of belonging and dignity with their children,” Gehringer explains, speaking about the concept of parallel process. “We, as child welfare workers, need to do the same with parents and families in order for them to make progress, believe we are supporting them in their parenting endeavors, and ultimately heal.”

Frontline workers, in turn, depend on their supervisors to provide reflective spaces where workers can “process all the trauma in front of them so that they can better connect with parents and families,” says Gehringer. She points out that child welfare and social workers, as well as people who work with families and children in other contexts, experience high rates of secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

Early Development and Child Welfare recognizes this reality while underscoring the vital importance of this work.

“We do this work to keep families together, intact, and healthy, and to build resilience and healthy attachment,” says Gehringer. “This podcast series is really nice for regrounding people in the ‘why’ of the work.”

Early Development and Child Welfare is supported in part by the Minnesota Department of Human Service Children and Family Services Division. An audio introduction to the series and the first episode, “Attachment and foundations of self-regulation,” are available right now. Additional episodes will be released twice a week.

Episode titles and topics will be:

Attachment and foundations of self-regulation

Faith Eidson, LMSW, interviews Marva Lewis, PhD, to discuss the impact of early caregiving relationships on a child’s ability to self-regulate.

The effects of stress biology and toxic stress

Kristin Johnson, MSW, interviews Salam Soliman, PsyD, to discuss the effect that elevated levels of stress have on the developing brain and how child welfare workers might help mitigate stress levels through providing resources to at-risk families.

Applying a cultural lens to child welfare work

Tanika Eaves Simpson, PhD, and Amittia Parker, PhD candidate, LMSW, MPA explore the importance of being able to acknowledge and engage with diverse cultures in the child welfare field.

Applying a developmental lens to child welfare work

Christine Cole, LCSW, IMH-E, interviews Kristin Irrer, IMH-E, to discuss how recognizing the various developmental needs of children is crucial for child welfare workers in order to appropriately engage with youth and families

The importance and process of early childhood screening

Kate Waltour, MSW, LISW, talks with Anna Paulson, MEd, and Janell Schilman to discuss the referral and evaluation process when there are concerns about a child’s development and when screening is required through the Child Protection and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

Embedding knowledge into practice: CEED’s Supporting Early Social and Emotional Development Credential

Faith Eidson, LMSW, interviews Kim Eckel, the founder of Footbridge for Families, about the process for obtaining SESED Credential and how the program has impacted their approach to Child Welfare

Cultural perspectives from child welfare workers: A panel

Tanika Eaves Simpson, PhD, interviews Andrea Penick, LMSW, and Cassandra Thomas, LMSW, to discuss how their unique cultural perspective(s) influence their work in child welfare.

Applying an infant mental health lens to child welfare work

Faith Eidson, LMSW, talks with Sarah Shea, PhD, about how using an Infant Mental Health (IMH) framework in Child Welfare work can benefit young children and their caregiver(s).

Early brain development

Christine Cole, LCSW, IMH-E, and Kathleen Thomas, PhD, delve into the topic of early brain development and it’s reliance on adult interaction.

Applying a neuroscience lens to child welfare work

Kristin Johnson, MSW, interviews Daniel Berry, EdD, to explore the interactions between genetics and the environment on a child’s brain development.

How does reflective supervision work? Therapist and reflective consultant Michelle Dineen explains in this Q & A

May 11, 2021

Michelle Dineen, MSW, LICSW, IMH-E®, is a therapist and reflective consultant. As a therapist, she has a special interest in working with parents who have young children. As a reflective consultant, she leads group reflective supervision sessions for people in a variety of professions. This includes teams working in such fields as public health and emergency services, as well as teams working for social service agencies and crisis nurseries.

Dineen is also an instructor for our online course RIOS 1: Using the RIOS Framework for Reflective Supervision. She also authored our self-study module Wondering with Purpose: Reflection in Any Setting. In the first part of our Q & A with Dineen, she discusses the benefits of reflective supervision. She also talks about the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed to people in helping professions.

What happens in a reflective supervision session? How does reflective supervision help participants?

Michelle Dineen: Reflective supervision sessions can be led by a reflective supervisor who works within an organization, or they can be led by an external consultant, like me. Reflective supervision is particularly helpful for people whose work is emotionally charged. These providers often work with people who are in high-stress situations.

In reflective sessions, providers can take a step back and think about themselves as players in the interactions with people they assist. Reflective sessions are a place where providers can work on understanding their part of the equation. My job is to help providers name and manage the emotions that they experience while helping others.

In reflective sessions, we do mindfulness to become more aware of our bodies’ responses to emotions. When we get emotionally charged or someone we meet is emotionally charged, that is somewhat contagious. If we don’t understand our own reactions, we can end up taking on someone else’s emotions.

The providers I work with are empathetic. They are in relationships with the people whom they are helping. But they’re practicing how to manage the boundaries between their own emotions and those of others. They’re asking questions like: “What can I understand about the emotions that we experienced? What isn’t mine to hold onto anymore? What can I let go of and still be good at my work?” They’re practicing not being a sponge that soaks in all of the emotions in the room. Being a sponge leads to burnout.

So reflective supervision can help prevent burnout. It can also help participants increase their effectiveness at work. Can you talk a little bit about why that is the case?

MD: Reflective supervision sessions are not based on fixing anything. Instead, they are based on giving space to the experiences people are having with an initial goal of wondering what might be going on with the other person. From there, we get into challenging assumptions. All of us are judgmental. That’s how we keep safe. The key is to recognize our assumptions and to be curious about the person we are interacting with.

For example, let’s say you are a home visitor who works with parents and kids. You might have assumptions like, “I could do better than this mom.” Everyone has weird thoughts like these. We may feel that we can’t say them out loud. If I leave feelings and thoughts like these unconscious and buried, they may come out sideways. I may accidentally act on them. But if I have a safe space to notice those thoughts, such as a reflective supervision session, I don’t have to hang on to them. I can move through them and use them to lead me in my intervention and support of that parent.

You mentioned you work with public health professionals. How has their work changed since the start of the pandemic?

MD: I’ve noticed that some of the separation of “provider” and “client,” or of “us” and “them,” if you will, is gone. It’s because we’re now all experiencing a universal stressor. This isn’t necessarily just applicable to public health; it’s applicable to everyone who works with people. The pandemic has changed the way work feels and the way it feels to help someone else. Providers are finding that the stress experienced by their clients feels familiar.

I mentioned that one piece of reflective supervision is the separation of “my feelings” and “your feelings.” Thinking about what’s happened over the past year, so many professionals are now in the position of saying to their clients, “I’m confused about what’s happening also. I don’t know when I can see you again. I don’t understand the technology to connect with you virtually. I don’t know what barriers there will be to connect with you.” It’s really a struggle for people who have been doing this for a long time, because their skill sets may not translate well when they are not in the room with someone. These providers are now being subjected to stress at a similar level to the people with whom they work.

It sounds like any professional who normally works with people face-to-face could be experiencing these high stress levels.

MD: Yes, many workers use themselves, their presence, as a tool to connect with someone. They can’t do that virtually, or at least, they can’t do it in the same way. For example, sometimes a home visitor’s work is to sit in silence as a person cries about the tragedy they’re having, or to sit in silence while holding a baby.

The educator and reflective consultant Carol Siegel has said that stress and creativity are opposites. When stress goes up, creativity goes down. People in helping professions practice creativity all the time. Think of a kindergarten teacher when a child is really dysregulated. The teacher thinks, “I’ll try this to help them. Now I’ll try that. That didn’t work. What else can I do?” What do professionals like these do when their creativity is constrained by the virtual format? They feel tired, incompetent. They can’t do what they want to do and serve the people they want to serve. And they know people are suffering for it.

Stay tuned for the second part of our conversation with Michelle Dineen. To learn more about reflective supervision, explore Dineen’s online course RIOS™ 1: Using the RIOS™ Framework for Reflective Supervision. For a self-paced introduction to reflective skills, Dineen’s self-study module Wondering With Purpose: Reflection in Any Setting is another option. Register for any of CEED’s self-study modules for $10 off throughout May in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

“People need a place for their struggles to be held by another”: Q & A with Angela Klinefelter

February 15, 2021

Angela Klinefelter, MS, LMFT, IMH-E (III), is an infant mental health specialist and licensed teacher of parents and children. She provides parent education and home visiting for the St. Cloud School District Early Childhood Family Education Program. She also provides reflective consultation and training across Minnesota, specializing in the areas of social-emotional development of young children, the enhancement of parent-child relationships, and working with parents. In addition to teaching our online course on Working with Parents: Using Infant Mental Health Principles to Support Special Populations, Klinefelter authored the self-study module The Domino Effect: Parallel Process in Reflective Supervision.

Who would benefit from enrolling in this module?

Angela Klinefelter: Anybody who works with children and families can benefit from this module. The module was created with the early learning field in mind, but the content is also relevant for people who work with older children. In fact, I’d argue that it’s relevant for everyone at some level. Most concepts in infant and early childhood mental health provide opportunities for us to think more broadly about perspectives from all points of view, including our own. This is done while holding relationships in mind. This reflective lens is applicable to all relationships.

What does it mean to have a reflective lens?

Having a reflective lens is about being thoughtful, mindful, and intentional. It’s a way to transform the ways in which professionals view, wonder about, consider, understand, and respond to the families in which they serve. It’s the idea that we attend to all of the relationships within the family.

We need to feel safe to regulate our body and emotions. When parents are feeling safe and regulated, they have increased capacity to build relationships with providers. These relationships then give parents the opportunity to be reflective about parenting and their child.

Infant mental health consultant Michelle Fallon created the “perspective pyramid.” The pyramid is a visual metaphor that helps us understand the true complexity of a system of relationships. Each corner of the pyramid represents a person within a system of relationships.

As an example, let’s say a home visitor is working with a family where a five-year-old child is having tantrums. Using their reflective lens, the home visitor considers: “What does this situation look like through Mom’s lens? What does it look like through Dad’s lens? What does it look like to the five-year-old?” If we can have a conversation with all of the people in the perspective pyramid that takes into account their different viewpoints, we can bring everyone back to a space where we can consider what is best for the family. The facilitator—in this example, the home visitor—pulls all the different perspectives together using their infant mental health knowledge and their relationship with the parent or caregiver.

This brings us back to the concept of parallel process that we delve into in this module. If the home visitor makes the parent feel heard, then the parent in turn has greater capacity to listen to the child. And what gives the home visitor the capacity to listen and consider all perspectives? The relationship with a reflective supervisor. The supervisor creates safety and regulation in order to help the home visitor understand their own feelings so that they have the capacity to work with the family.

What drew you to reflective work in the infant and early childhood mental health field?

After graduating from college with my degree in education, I was licensed to teach Kindergarten through 6th grade. Although I’ve always been drawn to working with very young children, I was fortunate to begin my career in a combined 5th–6th grade classroom. That was also the year when my husband’s brother, who was a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. Our family tragedy occurred in January, five short months after beginning my new career. Through the chaos of that experience and the challenges of my first year of teaching, there was a student who stood out.

With only a few days to prepare for my new job, several team members warned me about a student that would be in my class. Because of team members’ previous experiences, this student was expected to present multiple challenges. He proved to be just the opposite. He was the student who taught me that everyone deserves a chance to change their story.

Our relationship began as I threw this student’s very large behavior report file from the previous year in the garbage, right in front of him. I wish I could say that I was being relationally intentional. The truth was that I had not had time to sort through the previous teacher’s files. The student responded with the following: “Thank you for saving my dignity.” Then he returned to his seat. That was the moment I realized I had much more to learn about understanding people than I had ever imagined. He made me think so much more deeply about relationships. I will forever be grateful he was in my class.

Relationships are my passion. Reflective practice promotes relationships. This work honors the parents and practitioners who are doing their best with what they have to improve outcomes for their families and communities. People need a sense of felt safety, more understanding, and a place for their struggles to be held by another without judgment. It just helps. Don’t we all want stronger families? They make the world a better place.

What’s the top takeaway that you hope students come away with from your module?

Understanding the parallel process is a way to increase your capacity so that you are able to continue the emotionally charged job of working with families. Because we are human, our hot buttons get pushed. Our buttons might have to do with the cleanliness of a home, a yelling parent, or an inability to nurture a young child. We may remain stuck and unable to see the parent through a different lens. Our reaction may project judgment for reasons that make sense. The parallel process reminds us that in order to strengthen the parent-child relationship, we also must consider our relationship with the parent. By doing that, we reach the child. Embracing reflective practice provides an opportunity for professionals to regulate around experiences with families—and perhaps, to reignite your sense of passion and purpose.

Cicchetti reaches 100,000 citations

August 25, 2020

Dante Cicchetti, PhD, McKnight Presidential Chair and professor of developmental science in the Institute of Child Development, recently reached a new career milestone illustrating the breadth of his impact on the field of children’s mental health: His research has now received more than 100,000 citations.

Cicchetti’s pioneering work has defined and established the field of developmental psychopathology, and he is recognized by the National Institutes of Health as one of their top grantees. He is director of research for the Institute for Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health (ITR), and serves as a principal investigator on TRANSFORM Center for Child Maltreatment, for which ITR, in conjunction with the University of Rochester’s Mt. Hope Family Center, received an $8.39 million direct cost award over five years to create a national center for child maltreatment studies.

Cicchetti has received numerous awards for his work, including the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize, and several honors from the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association (APA). He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the 2019 recipient of the APA’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award.

“This work really does matter”: Q & A with Infant Mental Health instructor Londa Wagner

May 13, 2020

Londa Wagner, MS, LMFT, IMH-E® (III), is an instructor for CEED’s online Introduction to Infant Mental Health course. Londa is the mental health specialist for the St. Cloud Area School District early childhood programs in St. Cloud, Minnesota. She provides assessment and support to children and parents and works with early childhood staff to promote social and emotional learning and development for children, ages birth to five. Her extensive experience providing family therapy includes her private practice providing in-home family therapy to children and families who have experienced complex trauma. Londa is a founding member and serves on the Board of Directors of the Ellison Center in St. Cloud, an early childhood mental health center.

In this Q & A, Londa gives an overview of the infant mental health field and explains what participants can expect to learn in Introduction to Infant Mental Health.

Q. What age range does the information in this course apply to?

LW: Typically, in the field of mental health, when we are talking about infants, we usually mean birth to 3 years. However, the time between conception and birth is very important as well, because there is considerable evidence regarding prenatal influences on many clinical problems in early childhood. We also often extend the upper age limit to 5 years, because much research and many clinical programs extend beyond the first three years.

Q. Can you share a definition of “infant mental health”?

LW: Infant mental health is the young child’s capacity to experience, regulate, and express emotions in close and secure relationships and to explore the environment and learn. All of these capacities will best be accomplished within the context of the caregiving environment that includes family, community, and cultural expectations for young children. Developing these capacities is synonymous with healthy social and emotional development.

A happy toddler rides on the shoulders of a smiling young man

Q: Do people who take this course usually have an infant mental health background, or is the course intended for people who are exploring careers in infant mental health?

LW: Typically, the people who enroll in this course are working with children and their families, but they are not necessarily mental health specialists. For example, in our last session, participants included therapists and directors who had mental health knowledge, but who had not been trained specifically in the development of very young children. Also enrolled were a nurse who worked in a NICU, an early childhood special education home visitor, and some international students who worked in a hospital setting. All of these people had experience working with families and children in some capacity, but none had had specific training or knowledge in the philosophies and ideas of infant mental health.

I’ve heard from many students after this course that they were now able to think differently and with a new perspective, not only when working with the infants and their families, but also when working with anyone who was once an infant, which of course includes all of us! All of the development that occurs in our early childhood years tends to follow us and influence our current experiences, our work, our marriages, and our parenting. This includes influencing our attachment patterns, relationship styles, and our “ghosts” and “angels” in the nursery. These are metaphors for negative or positive early relational experiences with our own caregivers.

Q: What are the top three takeaways that you hope students come away with from this course?

LW: The first major takeaway I want to share is that relationships are the vehicle and the context for all early learning. This idea and viewpoint is often very different from our initial training and education as professionals, and it changes our work with children and families for the better. In infant mental health, the focus is always on the dyadic relationships between infants and caregivers. This is not only because infants are so dependent upon their caregiving contexts, but also because infant competence may vary widely in different relationships. What that means is that infants may act one way with one caregiver and another way with another caregiver. How they act depends on how their caregivers act; it depends on the nature of the caregiver’s presence and their positive or negative responses to the child. As we sometimes say in this field, it depends on how each caregiver is with the child. The infant mental health pioneer Jeree Pawl said, “How you are is as important as what you do.”

The second takeaway is that infant mental health is a multidisciplinary field. Infant and early childhood professionals represent a variety of disciplines spanning a variety of program and service settings. This includes early care and education, early intervention, mental and physical health, and child welfare, among other professions. Knowledge of infant mental health is beneficial to so many professions and the information learned in this course enriches your work tenfold.

The final takeaway I want to emphasize is that early intervention for children whose development is at risk has been shown to shift the balance from risk to resilience. This work really does matter!

Introduction to Infant Mental Health starts June 15. Learn more and register.

ICD student team named CEHD World’s Challenge Challenge winners

May 13, 2020

A group of three Institute of Child Development (ICD) students was named the winner of the College of Education and Human Development and University of Minnesota (U of M) World’s Challenge Challenge grant competition. The competition brings together students from various institutions and countries to identify innovative solutions to significant global issues.

The ICD team was made up of Sarah Gillespie and Lauren Eales, graduate students in the developmental psychopathology and clinical science PhD program, and Sarah Eckerstorfer, an undergraduate in the developmental psychology major. Gillespie, Eales, and Eckerstorfer are members of the Culture and Family Life Lab, which is directed by ICD Associate Professor Gail Ferguson and studies the intersection of health, media, and culture among youth globally.

Their proposed research project would culturally adapt and evaluate the lab’s JUS Media? Programme intervention in classrooms across approximately 10 countries using the lab’s global network of secondary educators. The JUS Media? Programme is food-focused media literacy intervention that aims to address obesity- and nutrition-related issues in remotely acculturating youth.

Each member of the team will receive a $1,000 cash prize and will represent the U of M at the 2021 global grant competition at Western University in Canada, where they will compete for funds to carry out their project.

Learn more

Follow the Culture and Family Life Lab on Twitter @Ferguson_Lab and the hashtag #RemoteAcculturation to learn more about the proposal and the lab’s research.

Reflective practice in uncertain times: How you are is as important as what you do

March 25, 2020

By Mary Harrison, PhD, LICSW, IMH-E®

“How you are is as important as what you do.”
Jeree Pawl

Anyone caring for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers knows how intense the interactions can be. For young children, feelings are often big and unwieldy.

When times are uncertain and we feel under threat, we want to “do something.” We want to be proactive and reactive, to feel like we can make a difference, and somehow, to influence future outcomes. Parents and caregivers of young children feel a powerful pull towards protecting them from any harm.

Yet reflective practice reminds us that “how we are is as important as what we do,” as the renowned infant mental health scholar Jeree Pawl so aptly put it.

How. We. Are.

How are we?

In the infant and early childhood mental health field, reflective practice asks practitioners to explore their own thoughts and feelings, using them as data in their work. Reflective practice reminds us to check in with ourselves—with our bodies and our minds. How are we feeling? Where does our worry live? Which areas feel tight or constricted?

We may not even be aware of how our bodies are feeling or of how our emotions manifest themselves physically unless we deliberately pause to take stock. The regular intentionality of reflective practice helps us pause long enough to notice how we are.

It’s the same with our mental and emotional well-being. What are we thinking about? What are we focused on? How are we affected by what we are reading and thinking about?

And how are we—collectively, as individuals who exist in a web of relationships? Reflective practice encourages us to reach out to people we trust for reflective conversations. It reminds us that connecting with others helps us be our best selves, especially in times of crisis.

When we pause and notice how we are feeling within the context of a compassionate relationship, we realize how powerful our bodies and minds are in influencing the minutes and hours of our lives. We also notice that we have some control and influence over our bodies and minds. Observing is the first and most important step in assessing quality care for young children, so it makes sense that observing ourselves should come first.

Because of the need for “social distancing” to slow the spread of COVID-19, people around the world are now confronting the prospect of staying at home with children for an undetermined amount of time. They may be getting used to working from home. Or maybe they have been caring for children at home full time, but must grapple with new limits on where they can go and whom they can see. Faced with this “new normal,” we might want to jump into a strict schedule or fill our children’s days with developmentally appropriate opportunities for learning. But if we have forgotten to check in with ourselves and attend to how we are with others, we may not feel as good about the process or outcomes.

Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson have just published a book that teaches us to pay more attention to how we are: The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired.

Anyone working with young children can replace the word “parental” with the term that best represents them: how a child care provider’s presence…a preschool teacher’s presence…a home visitor’s presence shapes who our kids become.

The key is “presence.” Our presence is how we are.

In these times of unprecedented crisis, our children are learning how to be from us. They are learning what worry looks like for adults and how to manage worry. They are observing all kinds of normal emotion expressions from the grown-ups who take care of them: irritability, panic, rage, numbing. If we can notice our own bodies and emotions, we gain the opportunity to teach emotion regulation skills in real time.

We can teach children that a “time out” can be a valuable chance to take some deep breaths and find a way to feel calmer. We can teach them that sometimes words and talking aren’t helpful; instead, connecting through a hug is where to start. We can teach them that we make mistakes. Sometimes, we are too loud or too angry or too worried or too checked out to be the kind of caregivers we really want to be. Reflective practice reminds us to pay attention to our own behavior. When we do that, we can own our reactions and repair our relationships. We can explain to our children that we, too, have a hard time sometimes and that we, too, are still learning how to manage our big feelings so that we do not seem “mean” or “scary.”

There is no finish line to this learning. We do not reach a certain age or have our children reach a certain milestone and then feel like we’ve got it down. Instead, as we weather ups and downs and brand-new crises, we can practice our skills again and again. The good news is that how we are as parents and caregivers is vitally important to the well-being of young children, and when we practice self-reflection within compassionate relationships, or even alone, we are “doing something” essential.

Training for reflective supervision/consultation: CEED’s new report is based on our nationwide survey

February 13, 2020

Reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) is growing by leaps and bounds around the country—and it’s no wonder. Evidence suggests that this relationship-based form of professional development has a range of benefits for people who work with young children and their families. (Download our free e-book to learn more about how RS/C is used in fields like child care, healthcare, education, and social work.)

A man and a woman smile as they talk on a couch in a preschool classroom

Researchers at the Reflective Practice Center (RPC) at CEED wondered how those who provide reflective supervision, either as managers or consultants, acquire their skills. We conducted a landscape survey to find out about the state of RS/C training around the country. We asked:

What RS/C training is currently available nationwide?
What are RS/C providers’ perceptions of the training they have received?

Our new report, Training in Reflective Supervision/Consultation: Nationwide Survey Results, details our findings. These included:

RS/C providers in this sample most commonly held an advanced degree with some clinical training, combined with specialized training in RS/C.
The majority of RS/C providers had 17 or more hours of training on how to provide RS/C.
State associations offer the most RS/C training, but professional organizations and employers offer it as well.
There are multiple modes of RS/C training, and they vary in type, content, length, intensity, and consistency. Didactic and experiential training are both seen as necessary for building the skills of reflective practitioners.
Face-to face RS/C training is most common, but a substantial amount of RS/C training is also conducted online.
The requirements or qualifications for taking RS/C training vary by training organization.
RS/C providers were eager to deepen their knowledge and skills in the provision of RS/C. They identified gaps in training content and modes of training.

In the report, you’ll also find direct testimonials from survey respondents that provide insight into why and how RS/C works, like this quotation from a practitioner:

“Participation in RS/C has been life-changing for me. It has made me a more patient, mindful, and observant practitioner. It has helped me learn how to use myself and awareness of what I am thinking and/or feeling to be more accepting of my clients and colleagues and frankly, myself. It has decreased my stress, made me feel less ‘alone’ in the work with young children and their families. It is the hour I look forward to the most each month.”

Funding for this project was generously provided by the Lynne and Andrew Redleaf Foundation. Download the report.

CEED releases e-book on reflective supervision/consultation

January 9, 2020

The Reflective Practice Center at the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) has just released Reflective Supervision/Consultation: Preventing Burnout, Boosting Effectiveness, and Renewing Purpose for Frontline Workers. This free e-book introduces reflective supervision/consultation and its benefits for people who work with young children and their families.

A young woman working in a daycare smiles as she interacts with toddlers and a boy touches her hair — RS/C practitioners include educators, daycare workers, healthcare professionals, social workers, early intervention specialists and others

Download the e-book.

Reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) is a professional development model for frontline workers like educators, social workers, healthcare professionals, and early intervention specialists. RS/C involves regularly scheduled discussions, either one-on-one or in a group. These conversations take place between a trained reflective supervisor or consultant and staff members.

During RS/C sessions, practitioners can share thoughts and feelings about their work. Being on the front lines with families who are experiencing challenging problems can be very stressful. RS/C helps frontline workers manage their stress and increase their effectiveness through what the Reflective Practice Center has termed the “4Rs” model:

Release: RS/C provides an outlet for participants to voice concerns and frustrations that arise in their work.

Reframe: RS/C provides a safe context within which participants can ask themselves questions, consider multiple perspectives, and unpack their own biases.

Refocus: RS/C helps practitioners identify how they feel they can have the greatest impact. They can also come up with new strategies to try.

Respond: Participants report approaching their work with greater flexibility rather than a fixed agenda. They are better able to nurture trusting relationships with families.

Our e-book explores how RS/C works and the training and tools that are available to supervisors and supervisees.

In the e-book:

Access results of a 31-state landscape survey conducted by the Reflective Practice Center. This survey of current practitioners reveals RS/C’s impact, supports, and barriers to wider adoption.
View testimonials from professionals who have benefited from RS/C in their workplace.
Learn about tools like the Reflective Interaction Observation Scale (RIOS), developed at CEED. The RIOS pinpoints the ingredients that make reflective interactions so beneficial.
Find out our predictions for the future of RS/C as it relates to the early childhood field.

Download the e-book.

A Holistic Approach to Challenging Behaviors

September 11, 2019

Understanding Why Children Act the Way They Do with Tools from Education, Mental Health, and Neuroscience

We’re back with another installment from the 2019 MN Early Intervention Summer Institute! Today’s post recaps Understanding and Responding to Challenging Behavior Using a Holistic Approach, presented by Sally Hansen, MA, MFT. Hansen is an early childhood special education professional development facilitator with the Minnesota Centers of Excellence for Young Children with Disabilities.

Hansen explained that, like the proverbial tip of an iceberg, children’s behavior provides some clues as to what’s going on under the surface, but it doesn’t tell us the whole story. So she shared ideas from different evidence-based disciplines to help professionals dig deeper. Participants took a look at challenging behaviors through a behavioral or education lens, a mental health lens, and a neuroscience lens.

Photo of an iceberg — Photo by Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash

From a behavioral or education perspective, every behavior has a purpose or “function.” In essence, a behavior’s function is either to obtain something or to escape something.

We can add complexity to this basic breakdown using a mental health lens. We may ask questions like:

Why is the behavior happening?
Is the child trying to communicate an emotional need?
Does this behavior help the child organize, regulate, and calm him/herself?
Has the child experienced trauma, toxic stress, or abuse/neglect? How might that knowledge impact the way you view the behavior and plan supports for the child?

We can also take into account genetic and environmental influences on a child’s behavior. We know that a child’s genes and environment combine to shape his or her body, brain and nervous system. These factors also impact the child’s development of executive function skills.

Learn what executive function is and why it’s so important in an all-new class from CEED!

Photo of four large sheets of paper headed with "Ways I am a behaviorist," "Ways I am a bonder," "Ways I use info and neuro-science to support kids," "resources, videos, etc." and covered with post-it notes — Summer Institute participants explored new practices for addressing challenging behaviors and categorized those they were already using.

From a neuroscience perspective, then, behaviors result from children’s neurological and biological processes. They can also be an adaptation to a child’s history and present circumstances.

Each discipline sheds light on a different aspect of challenging behaviors. The various disciplines also offer different solutions for such behaviors.

Put your educator cap on, and add some behavioral solutions to your toolkit:
- Teach children a replacement skill to substitute for a challenging behavior.
- Embed instruction into routines.
From a mental health perspective, support social and emotional development through play and social stories.
Neuroscience tells us that adults can best encourage children’s development of executive function skills through activities like imaginary play, storytelling, movement challenges (such as songs and games), puzzles, cooking, and matching and sorting games.

Child psychologist and educator Ann Gearity, PhD, LICSW, writes, “Before you try to change a behavior, admire it. It represents the child’s best effort to communicate.” That’s good advice, but sometimes, it’s easier said than done. Hansen shared pro tips for when children’s behaviors start pushing our buttons.

Be calm (regulate yourself).
Be quiet (give time for child to calm).
Be with (keep the child company; use your calm, quiet body to help him/her regulate).
Be kind and empathetic (remind yourself that the child is asking for help).
Repair (new learning).

Anne Gearity writes, “Repair happens through interactions, repeated again and again.” (Her Developmental Repair: A Training Manual is a valuable guide to working with young children who have experienced complex trauma.)

Recognizing that managing challenging behaviors takes a toll on early childhood professionals themselves, Hansen built information on self-care into the session. What practices might professionals use to “put their own oxygen mask on first,” as the saying goes?

Hansen recommends mindfulness apps like the free Insight Timer, as well as reflective practice. Reflective practice is a form of professional development for early childhood professionals.

You can learn about reflective practice in an introductory course on reflective supervision/consultation from CEED. (Find all our online courses.)

For those who don’t have access to reflective supervision or want to engage in reflection outside of a reflective relationship, Hansen offered these guiding questions:

Image of list of reflective questions for when things are hard

Thanks to our presenter, participants, and volunteers Jessica Bosacker and Jodi Altringer, and to the Minnesota Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Special Education—sponsors of the Summer Institute for the past 36 years.

FSoS’ Harris to share power of discernment counseling at conference in Seattle

September 6, 2019

Steven Harris, professor and interim Couple & Family Therapy program director in the Department of Family Social Science, will lead workshops and deliver a keynote address to members of the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy conference in September.

Harris, a licensed marriage and family therapist, professor and author, will lead a Discernment Counseling workshop, Friday, Sept. 27 that is designed to help practitioners work effectively with couples at a high risk for divorce but are uncertain whether to divorce or to try to rebuild their marriage.

In addition, Harris will share his insights in the keynote address, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Ambiguity & Inclusivity in Couple Therapy,” and will lead a break out session on ethics in marriage and family therapy at the WAMFT conference Saturday.

Harris’ research agenda includes couples and intimacy, relational decision-making and prevention of unnecessary divorce. While on faculty at Texas Tech University, he co-authored a case study that analyzed the economic costs and policy implications associated with divorce. At the University of Minnesota, he has collaborated with Professor Bill Doherty on the Minnesota Couples on the Brink project that develops, disseminates, and evaluates best practices to help couples as well as enhances the capacity of therapists, lawyers, clergy, and other professionals to work effectively with them. Harris will also lead workshops on discernment counseling for the U.S. Navy and at the Indiana Association of Marriage and Family Therapist conference in early 2020.

In addition to his research, teaching and advising, Harris is also serving a four-year term as editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Published by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the JMFT is dedicated to both reflect and foster the best scholarship in the MFT field that makes a difference, moves our field forward, crosses borders, is sensitive to diversity and social justice, and is relevant to both researchers and clinicians.

Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

August 21, 2019

4 Big Questions Early Childhood Professionals Have about Screening CLD Kids

We’re continuing our series recapping the 2019 MN Early Intervention Summer Institute, focusing today on Effective Practices for Dual Language Learners presented by Lillian Durán, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon. Dr. Durán began this information-rich session by making the case for bilingualism. In Minnesota, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families, including Hmong, Latino, and Somali families, are a growing part of our urban and rural communities. Research shows that supporting dual language learners’ native language as well as their acquisition of a second language benefits them in the short term and the long term.

Photo of a little girl practicing writing with a pen and paper — Supporting children’s fluency in their native tongue also enhances their skills in a second language.

For example, think of a 3-year-old who speaks Spanish with her family at home and is learning English at preschool. Will becoming fluent in Spanish interfere with her ability to learn English? Far from it. The evidence shows that supporting her Spanish will result in better academic outcomes in English. Not only that, but when she joins the workforce as an adult, being bilingual will be an economic advantage.

Dive deeper with online courses from CEED such as Working with Parents: Using Infant Mental Health Principles to Support Special Populations. See all of our professional development offerings.

Durán shared Four Big Questions that professionals like special education teachers and speech-language pathologists may share when working with CLD children:

Big Question #1: How should I screen and assess CLD children?

Prepare yourself by considering a family’s cultural background and previous experiences. Prepare the family for your meeting by letting them know what is going to take place and how they are expected to participate. If an interpreter or cultural liaison is helping you, remember to set aside twice as much time for your meeting as you would otherwise—you don’t want to be rushed. The Pacer Center’s publications can help parents understand the process and what resources are available to them, and they are available in Spanish, Hmong and Somali.

Big Question #2: Which screening tools should I use?

Some standardized screening tools are available in Spanish, such as the Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R). The Ages and Stages Parent Questionnaire (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE) is available in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. But the availability of many tools in languages other than English is still limited. Consider other screening options—parent report, observation in natural settings, testing to the limits, and dynamic assessment (test-teach-retest), for example.

Say you are working with an interpreter. Could you simply ask him or her to translate a screening tool? The short answer is no. For one thing, developmental trajectories differ in different languages. For example, in some languages, children may learn more verbs before nouns, or the reverse may be true. Moreover, the assessment tool will have a cultural bias in the objects and concepts that the child is expected to know. Additionally, the interpreter would need early childhood assessment training for their report of the child’s responses to be accurate.

Big Question #3: How do I decide which language to test in?

Test in both—or all—languages, but not at the same time or on the same day. And don’t switch back and forth during testing.

Big Question #4: How do I take culture into consideration?

Interpreters and cultural liaisons can be incredibly helpful, but they must be properly trained. In the real world, interpreters often don’t receive sufficient training to understand your role and theirs, best practices for interpretation, and how families can benefit from what you have to offer.

When using standardized screening tools, ask yourself, “How might this family’s culture and background experiences influence development differently than the population on which the tests we are using were normed?” Make sure to document your answer to this question in your report.

A toddler and adult male caregiver play with paint as the toddler paints a spot on the man's nose. — Every child is unique, and every child’s language trajectory is different. Professionals should tailor their approach to the individual child and family.

The Talk With Me Manual from the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association features a wealth of information with links to further reading for professionals working with CLD families.

Dr. Durán emphasized that many factors shape second language acquisition, and that there is enormous variation between children. Tailor your approach to each young learner’s individual needs.

Thanks to our presenter, participants, and volunteers, and to the Minnesota Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Special Education–sponsors of the Summer Institute for the past 36 years. Check back for lots more from Summer Institute 2019!

Wiese-Bjornstal & Lewis published in new APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology

April 19, 2019

The School of Kinesiology’s associate director and professor Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, PhD, director and professor Beth Lewis, PhD, and research associate Katie Schuver, PhD, published chapters in the two volume set of the APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Wiese-Bjornstal published a chapter in Volume 1: Sport Psychology titled “Psychological Predictors and Consequences of Injuries in Sport Settings.” Lewis and Schuver co-published the chapter titled “Primary Research Dimensions of Exercise Psychology,” in Volume 2: Exercise Psychology.

The APA Handbook of Sport and Exercise Psychology presents new areas of research and links theory with emerging practice to reflect the latest developments in this constantly changing field.

The 77 chapters provide extensive coverage of conceptual frameworks and models, empirical findings, and practical interventions. Additionally, many chapters discuss topics not addressed in other publications, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, life-span engagement in sport and physical activity, and professional ethics and governance.

DAV funds social work scholarship for veteran

April 2, 2019

From left, DAV member Chuck Letourneau and Jim Klein, commander of the Chapter 1, present John Bricout, director of the School of Social Work, with a symbolic check. At right, is Trygve Throntveit, development officer for the College of Education and Human Development.

The Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota, Minneapolis Chapter 1, donated $3,000 the School of Social Work in March. The school plans to honor the generous gift by using the funds for a scholarship for current and incoming master’s of social work students who are veterans.

DAV Chapter 1 is dedicated to “empowering veterans to lead high-quality live with respect and dignity,” according to commander Jim Klein. The chapter, which was charted in 1922, has 3, 400 members. It works to ensure veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fights for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, and educates the public about the great sacrifice and needs of veterans who are transitioning back to civilian life.

The chapter provides financial aid and volunteer assistance to organizations like the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis Veterans Home, Fort Snelling Cemetery Memorial Rifle Squad, and two service dog training organizations. It also works with county, state and DAV veterans service officers to assist with the needs of individual veterans. The financial aid for these programs is obtained from contributions.

John Bricout, director of the School of Social Work, said the DAV scholarship “will significantly assist an MSW student who is a veteran in their field work.”

MSW field director MJ Gilbert said applicants will be asked to write a short essay describing how their experiences in the military inform their decision to pursue social work, and how they hope to translate those experiences and perspectives into effective social work practice. In addition, at least one letter of support from an individual familiar with the applicant’s background as a social service practitioner and/or in the military, will be required.

In addition, Gilbert said, at least one veteran, either a faculty member or a field internship supervisor, will be included in the group of reviewers that makes the scholarship award decision. The plan is to award the entire amount to one student this year.

Sullivan, alum publish study on minority disproportionality in special ed

January 24, 2019

Department of Educational Psychology school psychology faculty Amanda Sullivan and alum Daniel Osher recently published a study on policy analysis on minority disproportionality in special education. The study, appearing in Exceptional Children, explores the tensions in federal policies and resultant interpretations in the government and courts, offering recommendations for schools and districts to support equity.

Dan is a school psychologist in South Washington County Schools and a former fellow of Project PRIDES, a federally funded leadership grant, led by Sullivan and assistant professor Faith Miller, to prepare school psychologists for research-based practice to support equity in diverse settings.

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