Hometreatment Early Years (HEY) : program development and first results of implementation

Aims: Postpartum or other psychiatric disorders in parents, regulatory problems in infants, and family stressors can negatively impact the parent-infant relationship and influence child development during early childhood. Hometreatment Early Years (HEY) is a psychotherapeutic treatment program for families with infants (up to one year old) that combines home visits with digital sessions (two sessions per week over two to three months). HEY is designed to address a treatment gap for families needing more support than outpatient services can provide. The treatment interventions are attachment-focused, aiming to strengthen parental reflective functioning, parental sensitivity, and infant affect regulation. Collaboration and coordination with midwives are integral to the program, particularly during the referral stage. HEY was developed in collaboration with the Institute of Midwifery and Reproductive Health and the Section of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology at the ZHAW Departments of Psychology and Health Sciences. Program development was financially supported by the Child and Youth Public Health Research Competence Network (CYPHER) at ZHAW. Methods: HEY was launched in September 2024. The program is delivered by two experienced psychotherapists at the Parent-Infant Consultation at ZHAW, accompanied by an evaluation at the start and completion of the program, using questionnaires and the Infant Care Index to assess the quality of parent-infant interaction. Additionally, qualitative interviews will be conducted with parents and analyzed using thematic analysis (Clarke and Braun, 2022) after the conclusion of the program. Results: An overview of the program development and treatment concept will be given. The primary focus will be on clinical experiences from implementing HEY. Questionnaire data, Infant Care Index data, and qualitative interview analyses will be presented.