The Center for Young Children and Families

The Center for Young Children and Families (CYCAF) at Baystate Medical Center provides multi-generational mental health care for families with children under 5 years of age who are experiencing:

• Behavior problems
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress and trauma
• Attachment difficulties
• Parenting challenges

Families can call CYCAF directly to speak with an intake coordinator. Pediatricians and other providers can also make referrals for CYCAF services.

Services for Families

Comprehensive Evaluations

Our multi-disciplinary team integrates information from caregivers, teachers, and observation to identify each child’s unique strengths and areas where they need support. When participating in a comprehensive evaluation, caregivers and children meet with a trained mental health clinician who will:

• Hear from the caregivers about their concerns and their child’s development
• Evaluate the child’s social & emotional development
• Understand the family’s strengths and needs
• Incorporate information from others who are involved in care for the child (such as daycare providers, preschools, close family members, and their pediatrician)
• Provide specific recommendations and referrals to support the child’s development

Evidence-Based Treatment

We understand that stress can impact families and the development of young children. Our services are tailored to be sensitive to this, and to help families get back on track. To do this, we provide therapy that is backed by research. We believe in the importance of providing multi-generational support that is proven to help children— and their caregivers. Specifically, we offer the following evidence-based treatments for young children:

• Child-Parent Psychotherapy
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

Importantly, children thrive when their caregivers are healthy and take good care of themselves. We therefore offer individual & group support for caregivers to enhance their wellbeing and caregiving skills. Specifically, we offer the following evidence-based supports for caregivers:

• Mothering from the Inside Out
• Circle of Security Parenting

Call 413-795-1366 to join a support group.

Services for the Community

Training

CYCAF recognizes that it takes a village to care for young children. We are thus invested in providing high-quality training on topics related to infant and early childhood mental health to a variety of professionals in our community including mental health clinicians, community health workers, pediatricians, early childhood educators, and more.

Preschool Consultation

Our infant & early childhood mental health consultants work with preschools to enhance their capacity to support children’s healthy social & emotional development– early and before formalized intervention is needed.