Family Engagement in Mental Health Interventions for Young Children

Laura Nabors, Ph.D.,
is a professor in the School of Human Services, in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati, with more than 20 years of experience in child and family research to promote children’s behavioral, social, and emotional functioning. She has expertise in program evaluation and interventions to promote resilience in young children who are developing typically as well as those with chronic illnesses and special needs. Dr. Nabors has published several books on children’s mental health, and the current volume adds to the literature by providing new information on use of evidence-based/evidence-informed interventions to promote family engagement to improve the resilience and behavioral, social, and emotional functioning of very young children. This book adds critical information to the literature about family engagement to promote children’s well-being and functioning in order to set a course for a positive developmental trajectory for lifelong health.

Jessica Dym Bartlett, MSW, Ph.D.,
 is a developmental psychologist, social worker, and researcher with more than 30 years of research, training and technical assistance, and direct care experience promoting young children’s well-being and resilience to trauma and adversity. She is the President and Co-Founder of 
Thriving Together
, a small women-owned business that partners with programs, communities, states, tribes, territories, and the federal government to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) on creating and sustaining systems of care to promote infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) and family well-being. She has led numerous trainings and communities of practice on trauma and resilience, infant and early childhood mental health, parental stress and depression, staff well-being, child abuse and neglect, and intimate partner violence. She has been awarded more than 25 research and TTA grants and contracts and has worked on more than 50 projects on trauma, mental health, maltreatment prevention, and infant and early childhood. She is also an expert in translating research for practice, policy, and research audiences. Dr. Bartlett also has a broad applied background, having worked as a child and family psychotherapist, home visitor, and mental health consultant in early childhood, home visiting, and school settings.