Michele Mapes, MS, IMH-E© joined Haven Professional Counseling, LLC in 2019 with a shared vision of building supports in our region for infants, toddlers, and those that care for them. After years of working in the early childhood education and early intervention fields, she felt called to offer specialized support to parents and all caregivers of young children in order to promote early attachment relationships.
Babies enter this world wired for connection, and what they learn in relationships during the first few years of life provide a foundation for learning throughout life. These first years are so important to the promotion of healthy relationships and to building resilience amidst life’s challenges. Parenting is a challenging job, made even more so in the face of grief and loss, social stressors, or physical and mental health challenges. Supporting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health means promoting the early relational health of all infants and young children, using what we know to prevent mental health illness in times of risk, and providing a safe space for healing and intervention when needed.
The counselors at Haven Professional Counseling, LLC are warm, knowledgeable, and passionate about providing this type of intervention for young children and their families. What Michele provides, however, is not yet covered by insurance, so Haven has added a non-profit platform to build funds for this important work.
Michele provides the following services:
Circle of Security®-Parenting™ is an 8-session research-based parenting program designed for parents (or foster parents, grandparents, or caregivers) of children of any age, but specifically those under the age of 6. It is based on decades of attachment research, and has been listed by various evidence-based review listings at the level of Promising Practice.
Circle of Security Parenting teaches us that a child’s caregivers need to be “bigger, stronger, wiser and kind”. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to understand what their child needs from them and how to be available to provide it. They are also reminded that this is not easy, and that things from our past can sometimes get in the way. But Circle of Security® Parenting also states that we don’t need to be perfect. In fact, we just need to be “good
enough”. What a relief! It is never too late. As long as we are actively trying, taking care of ourselves, seeking help when needed, and continually seeking to understand what our child needs from us, we can help to build the strong and secure base that he or she needs to thrive.
Infant Mental Health Training and Consultation:
Michele provides training and consultation to community groups or workplaces on a variety of topics in the field of infant and early childhood mental health, specially designed to meet the needs of staff in the field. Some recent topics have included:
Using an Attachment Lens to Support Early Relationships, Infant Mental Health in Pregnancy and Early Parenthood, Strengths and What I Bring to the Relationship and Why Relationships Matter.
Reflective Supervision/Consultation: Provided individually or in a group setting, Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RS/C) is a service provided to those that work with families and young children. This can include early interventionists, home visitors, early childhood educators, child welfare caseworkers, perinatal providers, behavioral health providers, and others. RS/C offers a safe and intentional space where staff reflect on the difficult work of supporting this population, recognize how this impacts them, and increase knowledge and compassion around the vital role they play. Research on RS/C indicates that it increases staff satisfaction, increases staff retention, and reduces burnout. This in turn leads to better outcomes for families. It is recognized by the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health as a vital component to supporting young children, families and staff in the field.
To schedule with Michele: mmapes@ei-imhservices.com
Donations for this programming can be made here: