littlepillarsct@gmail.com

Treatment & Services:

•Perinatal Mental Health: 'Holding the parent in mind' Assessments & treatment of peri-partum onset disorders *this includes non-gestational caregivers too! Treating caregivers experiencing Pre-term pregnancy, post-partum struggles & Nic-U experience based trauma, co-occurring disorders like OCD, depression and commonly seen post-partum struggles.

Adverse impacts of racism begins in the womb- I am a practitioner committed to be cognizant of the needs of the populations I work with and the experiences and struggles that may impact them and their bodies.

• FirstPlay® Infant Play Therapy: Infant Joyful Massage Storytelling & Nurturing Touch (Caregiver led attachment based experience-Individual or Group) This model was founded by Dr. Janet A. Courtney, PhD.

•Early Childhood Therapy Needs: Trauma detection/intervention• Developmental Screenings •Play Therapy Approaches • Autism support •Stabilization after/during Disruptive Attachments• coping w/death of loved one or separated by divorce, sand play therapy

Appointments:

Email -Littlepillarsct@gmail.com

Book with this link below:

https://growtherapy.com/book-appointment?id=42922&utm_source=provider-sourced&utm_medium=booking-link&utm_campaign=provider-dashboard

*Currently only caregiver therapy is telehealth

*FirstPlay® can be done in groups or home-based depending on your insurance coverage

CASH Pay w/ Venmo $100-$150 per session

Insurance Taken:

HUSKY, MEDICAID Aetna, Anthem AvMed, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Evernorth,

Harvard Pilgrim/United Healthcare, Optum,

EAP-Cigna, EAP-Evernorth, EAP-United Healthcare/Optum, Oxford,TuftsHealth-Cigna

OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions, Surest (formerly Bind), OSCAR

United Medical Resources, United Healthcare Life insurance,

UnitedHealthcare- Shared Services, UnitedHealthcare- Student Resources, United HealthCare- Optum

All Savers,Golden Rule

Other Services:

-Adult Substance Use assessments, treatment & recommendations on a case by case basis if clinically needed

Babies know their parents voice

INFANT Verbal CUES Very helpful for new moms!- 20 yrs old

Example of Infant FIRSTplay ACTIVITES/Songs

What is Infant Mental Health?

Infant Mental Health forms pretty quickly as the brain grows. When your baby responds to you and to their environment and when you respond to your baby, their brains health continues to thrive. Brain connections get made but they only take place when a baby is cared for, interacted with, responded to, touched, held, nurtured & bonded with. Infant play with their caregiver IS SO therapeutic in nature because synapses are searching for connections at this time and they thrive when you talk to your baby, care for them with sensitive nurturing touch, sing special songs, play games and initiate rhythmic exchanges (starting in the womb).

Infant mental health begins in the womb, while in-utero baby games and activities can be learned and done with your baby! Singing to them, talking to them & certain communications like rhythmic exchanges you take part in starts the bonding process. This is because baby's social-emotional development works reciprocal and almost is dependent on your bonding with them. Your baby will start to anticipate these activities, songs, baby massage & nurturing touch storytelling times together that I can teach you. They'll start to make attempts to engage with you once they learn them! Giving you the arm they might want to be massaged, and they will let you know when they need a baby break if they are all tapped out! Systems in the brain make connections from face-to-face interactions with caregivers and you responding to your baby's cues is vital to their infant mental health taking shape.

Eyes Touch & Senses:

Infant means- no speech. When a baby has no language yet, and only basic senses like seeing your face, your eyes, your smile and then hearing your voice., they use what they have BUT sensitive nurturing touch from a caregiver has many many benefits.

“Being touched and caressed, being

massaged, is food for the infant. Food

as necessary as mineral, vitamins and proteins.” -Fredrick Leboyer

LEANING IN, making eye contact, using fun voice tones, familiar songs and storytelling, (narrating what your baby does) are all powerful to an infants brain development. Just to interact with you is most important. Scanning the room with their eyes and gazing at you as their caregiver IS attachment happening! Babies keep an eye close on their secure base – YOU! Then as they take risks and explore their world (scan their gaze away from you and to their surroundings) they typically always return their eyes to their secure base-YOU! Sensitive nurturing touch enhances mental health, helps baby sleep better, have better digestion, lowers a stress hormones levels called cortisol and increases the LOVE hormone-oxytocin.

Can there be more than one attachment my baby has? YESSS!!!! Because I want my baby to have an attachment figure when I am not with them, this is important to them when they are away form me. Having a SECONDARY Attachment figure is awesome! A daycare provider, teacher, grandmother, relative etc…your baby can form an attachment with anyone outside of their bio parents.

Infant Play:

Back and forth interaction, taking turns or starting a little game where an element of taking turns surfaces is called ‘serve & return’ and this is a huge milestone in an infants social emotional development but also it helps form an attachment with their caregiver. This is the first form of play or FIRSTPLAY! Aside from these things that are right in their periphery they also learn about how their nose works and smelling, touching and tasting foods they enjoy become rewards. Eventually language takes over through interacting with so many people who seem to use their voice so they begin to mimic this too. Behaviors, temperament and personality comes out! They are trying to adjust to their world and this is where potential toxic stress trumps healthy development depending on the resilience of the baby/toddler.

Babies attempt to make sense of how things work in their world, and as a parent you have to tag along FOLLOW THE BABIES LEAD. Following their lead and learning who they are by learning how to interpret them is helpful. Just how do I interpret what my baby is doing at steps of development month to month from 0-2 yrs? And …WHY? This period of time is so small but with so many huge jumps from small infant cues that form development of their social brain and language acquisition to taking risks, looking for guidance and returning to their secure base.

How to SERVE & RETURN with baby/toddler

Approaches/Foundations in therapy style:

Infant Mental Health information

Infant cues- how do I know when my baby is ready for storytelling nurturing touch?

leaning in

Seen and be seen

Attunement

What Infant needs to play?

Pre-symbolic Play vs. Symbolic Play

Therapeutic Powers of Play!

Appropriate Screening Measures for ages 0-6 yrs. TESI-PRR (parent report revised), ASQ,

"Prenatal experiences needs to be included in the infant mental health classification as we now understand that the emotional and psychology landscape of the pregnant mother can influence the developing fetus."

(Zeanah and Zeanah 2019)