Learn how this family is using Promoting First Relationships (PFR), to build up the emotional health between child and caregiver, as a way to help set the mold for a secure and trusting relationship.
“This is really where the meat of human relationships is, and this is really where the origins of adolescent problem behavior and adolescent mental health are coming from,” said Oxford, a research professor in the University of Washington’s School of Nursing and executive director of the Barnard Center for Infant Mental Health.
Oxford describes infant mental health, focused on children 5 and younger, as “the ability of children as they develop to be flexible in the face of stress and bounce back.” It includes, for example, their ability to sit and pay attention when necessary in school or other settings, and also the ability to be curious and free to explore when opportunities arise.