Enhanced Early Years Mental Health Services
FIREFLY has always been mandated to provide mental health services to individuals aged 0-17. Historically, though, our services for very young children revolved almost entirely around providing support and skill-building services to their caregivers. While we still offer caregiver support and skill-building services, we have recently expanded our program to offer a range of ‘enhanced early years mental health services’ including family-based interventions, play-based therapies, and caregiver groups.
Play-Based/Family-Based Therapies
FIREFLY has recently started to provide a variety of other early years mental health services in addition to the existing caregiver support/skill-building services. We have enhanced the existing service model by offering family-based interventions that are specifically aimed at strengthening relationships between young children and their families. We have also focused on integrating various types of play into the therapy services that we offer directly to young children and their caregivers.
Family/Caregiver Support and Skill-Building
Caregivers connect directly with counsellors to develop new skills and strategies to support their children. Our counsellors can provide psychoeducation, evidence-based caregiving strategies, resources, and both internal/external referrals. Counsellors will listen and provide general support, however they cannot provide full mental health counselling or support for issues outside of caregiving.
Individual Early Years Counselling/Therapy
In general, children of all ages experience more successful therapeutic outcomes when their caregivers are engaged in their mental health service; this is especially true for children in their ‘early years’. That said, there are some extenuating circumstances when caregivers cannot be present with their children during the ‘early years’ counselling process and we will consider these requests for individual counselling/therapy services on a case-by-case basis.
GROUP PARENTING SUPPORT PROGRAMS
Triple P Parenting Program
FIREFLY now offers Triple P Parenting Programs® for caregivers of children aged 0-16 who want to learn strategies to confidently respond to challenging behaviours while strengthening caregiver-child relationships. This program is facilitated by two trained FIREFLY Counsellors and may take place either virtually or in-person.
It is offered on an ‘as needed’ basis depending upon community need. Our Triple P® groups are advertised on social media; caregivers who are interested in participating should follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to register for these groups when available.
Circle of Security® Parenting Program
FIREFLY now offers Circle of Security® parenting programs for caregivers of children aged 0-6 who want to reflect upon their child’s attachment needs and strengthen attachment relationships with the children in their care. This program is offered in-person and virtually in partnership with other community partners.
It is offered on an ‘as needed’ basis depending upon community need. Our Circle of Security® groups are advertised on social media; caregivers who are interested in participating should follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to register for these groups when available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the early years mental health services offered through a different program other than child and youth mental health services?
No. Our Enhanced Early Years Mental Health Services do not comprise a different program altogether. All of our mental health services are provided under the umbrella of our Child and Youth Mental Health program; our early years mental health services are no different.
How can clients access Enhanced Early Years Mental Health Services?
All of our enhanced early years mental health services can be accessed in the same way as all other FIREFLY Children’s Mental Health Services. To access service, please contact Centralized Intake at 1-833-696-5437.
I’ve heard that some caregivers were told that their young children should not attend counselling sessions.
All mental health services for children 0-6 start with at least one initial session with caregivers only. Caregiver-only sessions often allow for a more open and focused discussion than could occur with young children present. The caregiver-only initial session allows our counsellors to gather more accurate and detailed information about the child(ren)/family. At the completion of this initial session, caregivers and counsellors will collaboratively decide whether subsequent sessions will involve the caregiver(s), child(ren), and/or family’s attendance.
What if caregivers can’t attend the initial session alone due to transportation/child care issues?
We know that there may be extenuating circumstances that prevent caregivers from being able to meet one-on-one with the assigned counsellor; in these cases, caregivers are encouraged to communicate these barriers to their counsellor so that they’re able to come up with suitable alternatives.