December 15, 2025 RSP Newsletter
Dear Regional Service Providers and IECMH Consultants,
November and December have fewer working days due to the holidays, so we know your calendars are packed! This newsletter is meant to address some of the most pressing questions we receive, such as: Is this training required or optional? Who is supposed to attend this training? What’s the difference between the trainings? How much time will IECMH consultants be in training? See below for answers. But first…
Reminders!
CoP
The January 2026 Community of Practice for RSP Leaders will be on Thursday Jan 8 from 9-11a. We will hear from Erin Kinavey Wennerstrom and Anders Wennerstrom about the wellbeing of the workforce and talk together about strategies for attending to and promoting self-care of staff. Want a preview? This podcast is a great resource.
Reflective Consultation for RSP Leaders
It’s not too late to sign up! Reflective consultation groups for RSP program supervisors and administrators will be facilitated by Nichole Paradis and will occur once a month for 90 minutes each session. We strongly recommend RC for those providing direct program supervision to the IECMH consultants. These RC hours count toward Endorsement. The deadline to sign up is Friday Dec 19. RC itself is a self-care strategy and supports leaders in strengthening their capacities to promote a reflective work environment. You can read more about it here.
Congratulations to Sondra!!
The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) has selected Sondra M. Stegenga as the 2025 Journal of Early Intervention (JEI) Reviewer of the Year! This award recognizes a JEI reviewer whose work reflects exceptional rigor, clarity, and commitment to equity in early intervention and each childhood special education. This reviewer provides thorough, constructive feedback that highlights strengths, identifies meaningful opportunities for improvement, and upholds the field's ethical standards. Their reviews consistently advance high-quality, equity-oriented scholarship and strengthen the journal’s mission to support research that improves outcomes for young children with disabilities or developmental delays and their families.
Training Breakdown
During this intense onboarding stage for IECMH Consultants, they will be spending a significant amount of time in professional development activities such as reflective consultation (RC), community of practice (CoP), culture & equity groups, and training. And of course there are required meetings in their organization (including administrative supervision) and service documentation. ORIMHA estimates that, on average, the IECMH consultant may only be available for service delivery about 20 hours per week during this time. The training schedule will slow down after August 2026.
We hope that each of you finds a balance of rest, joy, and opportunities to celebrate with the people, pets, and/or places that bring you comfort this season!
-The ORIMHA Implementation Supports Team: Erin, Nichole, Sondra, & Caroline