
In 2018, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration funded the South Dakota Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative – an innovative collaboration between Southeastern Behavioral Healthcare, South Dakota State University and Inter-Lakes Head Start. The purpose of the project is to ensure that children and families in South Dakota have increased access to mental health services including prevention, early identification, early intervention and treatment activities. Specifically, this projects goals include:
- Increased developmental screening, mental health referrals and access to evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum for Inter-Lakes Head Start children.
- Increased knowledge skills and attitudes of early childhood mental health workforce in South Dakota to serve children ages 0-5, diagnosed with or at-risk for developing an emotional disturbance, and their caregivers
- Increased access to evidence-based therapeutic interventions in South Dakota for children diagnosed with, or at-risk for developing a severe emotional disturbance, and their caregivers.
Our Team
Cynthia Elverson
Assistant Academic Dean and Associate Professor (Sioux Falls)
College of Nursing
Department of Undergraduate Nursing
Department of Graduate Nursing
SDSU - Sioux Falls
Christin Carotta
Assistant Professor
School of Education, Counseling and Human Development
Counseling and Human Resource Development
Human Development and Family Studies
Staci Born
Associate Professor, LMFT, RPT-S
School of Education, Counseling and Human Development
Counseling and Human Resource Development
Kris Graham
CEO of Southeastern Behavioral Healthcare
Taylor Walton
Graduate Teaching Assistant - Instructor
School of Education, Counseling and Human Development
Upcoming activities
- October 28, 2021, Lisa Dion, Working with Aggression and Intensity in the Playroom (Virtual/Live TBD)
Past Events
- 2019, Dr. Robert Jason Grant, Play Therapy with Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- 2020, Dr. Jennifer Baggerly, Trauma-Informed Play Therapy
- 2021, Dr. Staci Born, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
- January, February and March 2021: 3-Part Early Childhood Mental Health Webinar series