INFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF CHICAGO 3600 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 773.782.2800 fax 773.782.5042 info@infantwelfare.org
INFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF CHICAGO
CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF VISIONARY CARE
Infant Welfare Partners with Erikson Institute to
launch innovative infant mental health program
The development that takes place in the first years of a baby’s life is critical to his or her chances of growing into a happy, healthy and academically successful child. That’s why the Infant Welfare Society has entered into a formal partnership with Erikson Institute, a premier graduate school in the field of child development, to launch an exciting new initiative in the emerging field of infant mental health.
With training and on-site assistance from Erikson faculty, Infant Welfare now
offers Mother-Infant Therapy Groups to women with postpartum depression and their infants. At these group treatment and psychotherapy sessions, mothers have opportunities to develop caring and supportive relationships with one another that help ameliorate social isolation.
In addition to group sessions, child development experts conduct interactive therapy sessions to teach mothers new tactics for coping with depression, how to more sensitively interact with their babies and how to be more empathetic and responsive caregivers. Once mothers gain a better understanding about how depression affects them and their relationships with their infants, they can begin to take steps toward recovery.
Participating mothers benefit by learning to better manage and cope with their
depressive symptoms, which can in turn dramatically reduce their need for antidepressive medication. Their babies benefit from the resulting changes in their mothers’ behavior and the new skills mom brings home. These factors positively impact babies’ overall health and development, leading to better developmental outcomes and a lower incidence of childhood illness.
Infant Welfare and Erikson are the first to offer this model program to low-income women in a largely Latino neighborhood, building on Infant Welfare’s long history as a pioneer among community-based health care providers. Infant Welfare began providing mental health services to low-income mothers in the 1920s, recognizing the impact depression can have on parenting and ultimately, infant health.
Infant Welfare takes a holistic approach to early child development, involving the entire family in creating a safe and nurturing environment for infants and toddlers. Infant Welfare continues to provide extended well-child visits, developmental screenings, home visits, drop-in play groups, parent workshops and ongoing parent education. Previously focused on young children from birth to age 3, these services were expanded in FY2009 to include children up to age 6. In FY2009, 1,300 children under age 6 were served.
MOTHER-INFANT THERAPY GROUPS
“I believe you can make the
most impact on the life of a child
when you get involved
early to prevent future
problems. I truly
believe that we are
making a difference in
the lives of generations
to come.”
—Milagros Fernandez,
Director, Child Development
and Support Services
Milagros Fernandez (left),
Director of Child Development and Support Services at IWS, and Linda Gilkerson, Ph.D., Director, Irving B. Harris Infant Studies Program, Erikson Institute, confer monthly with the partnership team to conduct needs assessments,
planning and staff supervision.
