The new face of mental health: early intervention in kindergartens.

Abstract

Imagine a 4 year old boy talking about what 'happy' feels like while icing a biscuit face. What about a little girl learning how to relax by 'doing the noodle' and pretending to be cooked spaghetti. Or a kinder class singing 'going on a bear hunt' and talking about what scared feels like. These are just a few examples of what an early intervention mental health program may look like. Emotional and behavioural problems of childhood are often evident by three years of age and can cause longterm difficulties for children and Families. Early identification and intervention for children at risk of developing emotional and behavioural disorders is necessary if the health of these children is to be protected, and the risk of them developing long-term emotional and behavioural disorders is to be reduced.Cool at School Together' (CAST) is an early intervention program for young children that in 2011 expanded to kindergartens. The program is evidence-based and uses emotion coaching and cognitive behavioural therapy to assist children to develop social, emotional and problem solving skills. Eighty-five kinder children participated in the program in 2012 with clinically significant improvement in emotion symptoms, peer problems, prosocial behaviour and overall score on the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Learning Objectives: 1.Participants will gain an understanding of the effectiveness of early intervention in preschool children. 2.This presentation will demonstrate how mental health services can work together with education providers to deliver early intervention to improve mental health outcomes for preschool children.