Young mothers and babies wellness program

Abstract

Young Mothers and Babies Wellness Program is a comprehensive mental health and sobriety treatment plan for pregnant and parenting young women emancipating from probation department or child welfare services and their infants. The Program provides interventions to establish safe, nurturing and responsive relationships between mothers and babies. This article includes rationale for treating this high risk population and its focus on mother-infant dyads; program design, lists of scientifically supported protocols—on the individual, relationship and contextual levels; and a plan to evaluate the integrity of its delivery, responses to treatment, and program outcome goals. If these mothers are helped to achieve the multiple goals of mental health, sobriety, economic well-being, positive social skills, and secure attachment relationships with their children; they can begin to break the powerful cycle of intergenerational poverty, mental illness and maltreatment that plagues our society.