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ENCOUNTERS Spring 2016
WIN: A Meaningful Partnership with Venice Family Clinic Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships Through the Westside Infant Family Network Baby Maria* began Venice Family Clinic’s Early Head Start (EHS)
Thanks to Venice Family Clinic’s EHS team, Maria’s mother slowly
program when she was a few months old. At weekly visits, the
began to admit that maybe she needed WIN’s support. She agreed
EHS home visitor noticed that the house was dark and quiet.
to a WIN referral and together, mother and the WIN therapist worked
Maria slept a lot—more than typical, for her age. When she was
on the following treatment goals:
awake, she was not very alert. The home visitor encouraged her mother to take baby Maria out for walks, but later learned that they mainly stayed inside. By 8 months old, Maria began showing gross motor delays and her mother was worried that she was not very expressive. Our Early Head Start team was worried too. Soon, the home visitor asked Maria’s mother if she would be open to a referral to the Westside Infant-Family Network, or “WIN”.
• Foster a healthy nurturing relationship between Maria and her
mother. • Increase Maria’s capacity to experience, regulate, and express
emotions. • Help her mother to develop insight regarding how her affect
might impact Maria’s mood and behavior. • Enhance Maria’s social-emotional development.
Born out of an identified
A young Early Head Start participant explores her reflection
need for infant mental health
Slowly, the mother began to better understand her own depression
services on the Westside, WIN
and how it was affecting Maria. Her child had always been more
has grown into a collaboration
animated with her father, but Maria’s mother didn’t realize why until
among four agencies—two
the therapist engaged her in an exercise using a mirror. Seeing how
primary care partners and two
she appeared to her daughter was a breakthrough. They began
community partners—designed
exploring a range of interventions including sensory activities,
to provide mental health care and
modeling and prompting, strength-based reflection, and exploration
comprehensive support services
and normalization, and over time, mother and daughter began
to families in need with young
developing a stronger, more mutually enjoyable relationship. By
children. Venice Family Clinic
the end of her WIN treatment, Maria developed age-appropriate
(VFC) is proud to have been one
curiosity and social behaviors, while mother became more socially
of WIN’s original partners, and a
and emotionally responsive.
Clinic representative continues to serve on WIN’s program committee. As partner agencies, Westside
Meanwhile, the family continued with our Early Head Start program.
Infant Family Network and VFC EHS staff members attend case
We worked with Maria’s VFC pediatrician to refer her for physical
reviews together, and our physicians and Early Head Start home
therapy, and the home visitor helped the family plan to transition to
visitors actively refer a steady stream of families. On their end, WIN
preschool. By the time she
responds to our referrals by assigning each family a case manager
turned three-years-old,
and a therapist to complete assessments and provide treatment.
Maria and her mother were both ready for this next
Maria’s story is not uncommon, and many of us can empathize
phase.
with the multiple pressures families with young children often face. However, prior to WIN, it was difficult to find mental health services
Maria and her mother
for very young children and parents. Existing services were offered
are a great example of
in traditional office settings, but the stress of parenting an infant or toddler, combined with limited financial resources, made the
Early Head Start teammates share resources with local parents.
prospect of getting out the house—let alone to a mental health appointment—seem insurmountable.
how Venice Family Clinic and our EHS team works closely together with
partner agencies like WIN to support young families beyond primary care services. By combining our organizations’ strengths, we can
To overcome this barrier, the organizations behind WIN decided
model successful partnerships and strengthen the health of our
to bring their services directly to a family’s home to focus on the
community, one family at a time.
parent-child relationship. Literally meeting people where they are has made mental health treatment more accessible and less stigmatizing.
* To protect patient confidentiality, “Maria” is a composite of cases WIN and Children First EHS have shared together.