WISCONSIN UNITED
for MENTAL HEALTH

A mother's bond with her child often starts when she feels fetal movements during pregnancy. Most mothers experience a surge of affection with their infant immediately after birth. This experience may not occur at all or be delayed under conditions of addiction or postnatal depression. Early disruption of attachment bonds can lead to enduring problems in development and maintaining interpersonal relationships and problems with depression and anxiety.

For more information on infant and early childhood mental health:

Wisconsin Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association

Great Beginnings: The First Years Last Forever (Wisconsin Council on Children and Families' Early Childhood Brain Development Initiative)
* Publications and materials
* Presentations and seminars

Public Health Information And Referral Services For Women, Children & Families (Wisconsin)

Wisconsin's Birth to Three Program

Zero to Three (National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families)


And keep in mind that children are resilient. 

What is resilience?
The capacity of children, families, neighborhoods, communities to "bounce back"
The power of people to recover, heal, grow, and succeed in the midst of change
Pre-incident mental health and the resilience of an individual, family and community are key factors in the psychological impact of a crisis. Resilience can be taught and mentored. It is an intrinsic quality in many people, and can be learned – everyone has the capacity to become resilient. Resilience should also be nurtured.

Individual-Level Resiliency
Flexible and adaptive (Werner and Smith)
Problem solving, planning skills (Rutter)
Internal sense of power, locus of control
Sense of purpose and optimism

Family-Level Resiliency
From conception onward: an enduring, loving relationship with at least one adult
High and clear expectations: "You can do it"
Encourage children; Treat them as valued and responsible participants in family life

School-Level Resiliency
Varied resources to affirm unique strengths of student ("There was one teacher who believed I could succeed")
Student involvement and participation in problem solving, decision making, planning, goal setting
Concrete deeds

Community Resiliency
Rich in social support networks (Garbarino)
Associations (McKnight)
Shared vision (Weisbord and Janoff)
Civic engagement (Putnam)
Resources for healthy citizens – health care, child care, parenting support, job training, employment, housing, recreation