When an emotional or traumatic situation occurs, babies and young children feel it just like everyone else in the home—maybe even more so. When an infant or young child endures an upsetting or unsettling event, the adults in their lives need to provide stability in the form of a safe home environment, consistent feeding and sleeping routine to help them grow and flourish. When the critical balance of home and structure is disrupted as a result of a traumatic event, it may result in slowed mental and emotional development. Infant and early childhood mental health experts tell us that infants are deeply affected if their mother, father, or caregiver experiences trauma as well. Because infants and young children are too young to understand and interpret any trauma they may have experienced, it is essential to restore them to a safe and stable situation as soon as possible. Brittany Rice is an infant mental health therapist in Wellington, Florida who specializes in treating children 0-6. This specialized therapy helps deal with serious mental and emotional issues before disrupting the important child development years.
How Does Trauma Affect an Infant’s Mental Health?
A life-threatening situation or traumatic experience can affect a vulnerable baby and cause it serious emotional distress. Babies experience fright and shock just like adults. According to therapists who work with young children, this is most disruptive in the developing years of 0-3 when a baby is just starting to flourish and grow. It’s at this point that an infant’s mental health may be affected if:
- Parental bonding and connection is compromised--the parent-child bond is disrupted due to some stressful or traumatic situation
- There is a disruption in the household routine—when an infant’s daily routine is constantly changing or dramatically altered.
- Parents or caregivers are experiencing fear, distress, or sadness—babies are sensitive to the emotions of others and are especially affected by the emotions experienced by their parents.
- Separation from a parent or caregiver – this situation can have a traumatic effect on an infant’s mental health, impacting their feelings of safety and security.
- They experienced a life-threatening event –a fire, car accident, and death of a family member can threaten an infant’s safety and security.
- Arguments between adults in the house—an occasional disagreement is normal, but when it escalates to the norm in the household and/or becomes violent, it can affect a baby emotionally causing them to feel threatened and distressed.
What Can a Parent or Caregiver do to Help an Infant Cope with Trauma?
According to infant mental health professionals at Child/Parent Psychotherapy, for a baby to recover, they need consistent support and strength from their family for them to grow and heal. Developing babies need to feel safe and nurtured in their home environment. If this is threatened for any reason, there are many ways you can seek out help such as:
- Increase your support system; reach out to extended family, friends, or house of worship.
- Learn to recognize the signs of stress and help the child feel safe and secure with soothing tones and caresses.
- Provide your baby with as calm and tranquil an environment as possible.
- Avoid any prolonged separation from your child.
- Maintain the baby’s routines of eating, sleeping, and playing consistently.
- Get advice from a licensed therapist who specializes in infant mental health.
Get Your Child the Help They Need Today
Serene Trails Therapy helps children ages 0-6 who have experienced traumatic symptoms associated with anxiety, fear, depression, and hopelessness. These issues are often referred to as infant mental health. Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Psychotherapist Brittany Rice, MSW, LCSW, focuses on infant mental health in her Wellington, Florida practice. Her practice focuses on infants, young children, adolescents, and families that have experienced trauma and need to heal in a safe space with customized therapy plans such as child-parent therapy and incorporating play into therapy. If you are interested in learning more about infant mental health therapy in Wellington, Florida and the other therapeutic programs offered at Serene Trails Therapy, reach out to discuss your needs by calling our Wellington, Florida office at (561) 335-6658.
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