Therapies & Programs

Caregivers want children to be happy & healthy. Often health has been viewed as physical health. An important aspect of health that tends to be overlooked for children birth to five years of age is social-emotional and behavioral (mental) health. From birth to five years of age, this aspect of a child’s development is significant. Children are learning how to build relationships, how to interact with others, learning right choices from wrong choices, and learning how to be part of the world.

Children are also learning to understand their own feelings, as well as the feelings of others; learning how to improve self control of their own strong feelings and behaviors; and learning how to express these emotions in a constructive way, thus improving their interactions and building positive relationships. This is social, emotional, and behavioral learning. A positive relationship with a caring, trusting adult is the key to successful social, emotional and behavioral development; children learn from what they see, and what they experience. Children may develop this learning at different rates during these years, as other skills are developing simultaneously; our staff and professionals help these children improve these skills through modeling and supporting interactions.

Our social worker and consulting psychologist provide additional support to the classrooms as needed, through team meetings, observations, and meetings with caregivers.

In addition to the adversities experienced by differences in developmental growth, some children may experience challenging life circumstances that may cause further developmental challenges for them. Adverse childhood experiences (also known as ACEs) are potentially stressful or traumatic events, such as neglect and/or violence, during childhood. As these experiences show a correlation with brain development challenges, and various lifetime health problems, ACEs may affect a child’s ability to learn, thereby possibly affecting a child’s mental health and wellness. Life stressors (i.e., serious weather events, car accidents, sudden death of someone close to family, witness to robbery or war, etc., as well as ACEs) in general can affect an entire family. Caregivers sharing with the child’s team/professionals about these circumstances can be beneficial in planning for the child’s support and treatment approaches.

Bornhava social work and psychology view social/emotional development through these various lenses. The Bornhava Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and/or Licensed Psychologist meet with classroom teams to support this aspect of development within the classroom settings. When indicated on the IEP that a child shows a need for additional support for this area of growth, the social worker also provides the services of individual counseling and/or parent counseling and training. In individual counseling, child-led play, the DIRFloortime ® philosophy, psychoeducation, social stories, and/or bibliotherapy are often strategies utilized to help support this growth and development. Individual counseling can include offering an environment to further process emotions and work on improving social interactions, as well as learning new coping and social skills. The parent counseling & training service may include facilitating consistency in learning across both the home and school environment, so that when the child is learning to self-express, both environments can respond in mutual understanding.