We are a team of consultants, working to promote social emotional development in early childhood. You will find the majority of us in classrooms on the ground building with blocks, at tables drawing pictures, outside on the playground, or singing with the class at circle time! We spend time collaborating with teachers on their concerns, ideas they have for their classrooms, or ways we can work together to help promote emotional literacy and social-emotional skills.
So, what is a Developmental Healthcare Consultant?
Developmental Healthcare Consultants (DHCs) are trained professionals who provide behavioral, developmental, and mental health support and guidance to teachers, administration, children, and caregivers. We are a multi-disciplinary team that uses our various backgrounds to collaborate on situations with a holistic lens. Our backgrounds include School Psychology, Child Life, Developmental Psychology, Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health, Education, Behavior Analysis, Early Intervention, Counseling, and Special Education. Working from a trauma-sensitive lens, HealthyCHILD DHCs take into account the whole child and focus on relationship-building and trust first and foremost - with the adults and the children that we serve!
What does our consultation look like?
DHCs provide support based on a tiered Response-to-Intervention model, offering skill-building and growth to all children in the classroom environment.
We promote social-emotional skills through universal classroom supports, such as classroom-wide lessons on friendship, kindness, or emotional literacy.
We help prevent trauma and unwanted behaviors by putting in place strategies that encourage problem-solving, skill-building, trust, and respect.
We support when behaviors become unsafe by providing intensive individualized interventions, building teacher confidence, and advocating for that child, their caregivers, and their teachers.
Great to have a glimpse into what a DHC does. Keep up the great work! I hope it's easy to find the resources and strategies you need on this site.