Current Trends in IECMHC
A national study in partnership with Mental Health Consultants on the role of consultee stress and wellbeing in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
About the Study
Around the country, thought leaders, mental health consultants, reflective supervisors, and researcher partners are noticing shifts in mental health consultation in early care and education settings. As sociopolitical pressures, stress, and burnout continue to rise, mental health consultants have shared that they are holding a heightened level of consultees’ personal stress and trauma alongside traditional child- and classroom-and programmatic-focused consultation.
This national study seeks to understand how mental health consultants are managing these evolving demands. We hope to identify the kinds of training, reflective supervision, and organizational supports that are needed to sustain mental health consultants. Our goal is to inform how IECMHC systems can better care for the workforce so that mental health consultants have the capacity, preparation, and community they need to thrive.
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This study is funded and coordinated by Indigo Cultural Center. We have been conducting research, training, and policy consultation on IECMHC initiatives around the country for the past 15 years. For more information and resources related to our IECMHC work, please visit our Products and Reports.
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Why this Study Matters
1
Field-Grounded
Co-created with mental health consultants, researchers, initiative directors, and thought leaders to reflect real-world practice.
2
Equity-Rooted
Attends to racialized and sociopolitical stressors (e.g., immigration, racialized stress, LGBTQ+/Trans identity) that shape teacher and consultant experiences.
3
Action-Oriented
Generates practical recommendations for strengthening programs, workforce supports, and state systems.
How to Participate
Join Our
National Study
Mental Health Consultants providing IECMHC in early care and education contexts are invited to partner with us on this study. We invite you to share your experiences with IECMHC—how you support teachers, classrooms, and families, and what you need to feel supported in your role. We are starting with a brief, 15-minute survey. In January, some consultants will be invited to a focus groups to share more deeply about your experiences.
Register for the
Convening
At the conclusion of this study in March 2026, we will hold a virtual gathering for the entire IECMHC field—consultants, supervisors, initiative and program leaders, evaluators, and policymakers. We will discuss study findings, exchange ideas, and shape the next generation of consultation practice. The convening will highlight both data and lived experiences and offer space for shared learning and collaboration across roles and systems.
Study Process & Timeline
Phase 1:
National Survey
(November-December 2025)
Phase 1A: Brief National Survey
This survey will be distributed nationally to briefly collect the ways that consultants are holding consultee stress and wellbeing, and to collect the demographic information of the consultants and the communities they serve. This survey will guide our focus group protocol development and serve as a recruitment tool to invite a diverse group of consultants to join our focus group conversations.
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Phase 1B: Field Innovation Partner Meeting
In this meeting, our team of partners will review findings from the survey and work together to create the focus group protocol and identify any affinity groups that should guide our focus group sampling strategy.
Phase 2:
Focus Groups
(January -February 2026)
Phase 2A: Focus Group Conversations
We will host a series of focus group conversations where we will listen to consultant voices and dig deeper into the ways that consultee stress is showing up in IECMHC, the ways that it impacts mental health consultants, and any gaps in how mental health consultants feel supported and prepared to hold this.
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Phase 2B: Field Innovation Partner Meeting
In this meeting, our team of partners will review findings from the focus groups. We will collaboratively work to find themes and patterns from these conversations. We will also identify implications for practice, research, and policy.
Phase 3:
Sharing What We Learned and Advocating for Change
(March - May 2026)
Phase 3A: National Convening
We will host a virtual national convening for mental health consultants, IECMHC leaders, and policymakers. We will present what we learned and hold space to continue drawing conclusions and implications from our work.
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Phase 3B: Dissemination
We will share the total effort of this work via a report and other accessible dissemination strategies so that the knowledge is not only returned to those who participated, but also so that it can be shared widely with those who support and train mental health consultants.
Meet Our Team
This study is guided by a community of Field Innovation Partners—mental health consultants, researchers, and program leaders from across the country who bring deep expertise and on-the-ground insight into IECMHC practice. Together, we are co-creating the study design, interpretation, and field implications to ensure that findings reflect the lived realities of consultants and the diverse communities they serve.
