News @ the 112

In this story, a parent shares how their son’s ECE Mental Health Therapist, through the ECLIPSE program, became a trusted partner in coordinating compassionate, collaborative care.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the support of our Early Care and Education (ECE) Mental Health Therapist through the ECLIPSE program over the past year. She provided vital support we hadn’t even realized we needed, until we experienced it.

One of the most impactful roles she played was serving as a connector across the many systems involved in my son’s care. She organized and facilitated a collaborative meeting that brought together many of the professionals involved in my son’s care. This included his preschool teachers at Columbia Early Learning, his developmental preschool team at Hazel Dell Elementary, his speech pathologist, our ECEAP family support specialist, an ECEAP psychologist, our psychotherapist from AKIN, and me, as the parent.

While I could have handled this coordination myself, the therapist taking it on lifted an enormous burden. She managed communication and Zoom logistics, and thoughtfully guided the conversation to focus on my son’s strengths. Hearing each professional share what they value about working with him was incredibly moving and affirming.

The ECLIPSE therapist has also visited my son in three different settings, which has given her valuable insight into how he interacts across environments. She consistently shares these observations with me through detailed, thoughtful follow-up messages. In addition, she independently created a “social story” project—writing an entire personalized book centered on my son’s social and emotional skills, complete with photos. Even before seeing the final product, I was moved by the creativity, care, and dedication she put into developing such an empowering tool.

The ECLIPSE therapist always takes time to talk through ideas with me, validate our challenges, and clearly explain assessment results. She has been especially helpful in guiding me through the complex considerations around early diagnoses, offering balanced insight into the potential benefits and drawbacks.

Her support has been both empowering and grounding, significantly strengthening my ability to understand my child and advocate for him.

We have also had several in-home sessions where the therapist, my son, and I play together, sometimes with my older child joining us. She is highly attuned to my son’s needs and skillfully adapts play and materials to match his mood and developmental stage. Her joy in working with him is always evident, and her warmth, kindness, and genuine presence make families feel truly heard and seen.

The ECLIPSE program itself is uniquely flexible, and that flexibility is its greatest strength. Through conversations with other families and school staff, I’ve learned that supports look very different from family to family, and that an individualized, responsive approach is what makes the program so effective. Often, families don’t fully recognize their needs until they are given the space to share their challenges.

I strongly encourage continued support of the ECLIPSE program. I also want to celebrate our therapist for her expertise, positivity, and deep commitment to children and families. Her work has made a lasting difference for our family.