CPP State Policy Feature: Tennessee

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“CPP has created a shared foundation of IECMH services for the state to improve care for young children and families.”
— Tennessee CPP leader

43 Providers*

20 Agencies*

CPP Champion:
Alison Peak, LCSW, IMH-E®

Foundational training for CPP participants

Training funds in governor’s budget

Higher reimbursement for CPP in Medicaid guidelines

Timeline

2012

First CPP cohort, sponsored by SAMHSA Early Network Connections grant through the Centerstone of Tennessee Clinical Services team.

CPP included in Tennessee IECMH Best Practice Guidelines.

2015

Statewide ACEs summit builds momentum for IECMH training.

2017

CPP cohort sponsored by Centers of Excellence (COE) and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH).

2019

Tennessee ACEs innovation grant funds Allied Behavioral Health Services (ABHS) for statewide CPP training.

2024

CPP training partially funded through line item on governor’s budget.

Association for Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMHiTN) becomes home base for statewide training.

Systemic Approach to Implementation

Coordination across multiple statewide organizations

Tennessee’s CPP dissemination is the result of deep partnerships between multiple organizations:

  • AIMHiTN facilitates professional development, support, and community for clinicians and supervisors.
  • TFFTI and ABHS provide foundational trainings, CPP LCs, and leadership summits.
  • The governor’s budget and Building Strong Brains allow the state to fund training and provide strategic direction.
Cross-State Engagement

CPP training and treatment in urban and rural areas

From the beginning, CPP leaders in Tennessee have endeavored to bring the model to all regions of the state. ACEs innovation grants were evaluated on their inclusion of both urban and rural areas. Additionally, TFFTI’s pre-CPP foundational training program is offered across the state. This statewide approach facilitates equitable access to CPP services and builds political support for training.

A Focus on the Message

“Grass-tops” and “grassroots”

CPP dissemination in Tennessee was fueled by a statewide ACEs initiative. In 2015, a summit on ACEs rallied “grass-top” leaders like the governor, legislators, and supreme court justices. At the same time, over 1,000 “grassroots” advocates (such as clinicians, pastors, and police) were trained to champion the issue in communities. The resulting political will helped secure funding and restructure systems to implement CPP.

Learn More
Key Organizations

Association for Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMHiTN)
Learn about the non-profit parent organization for TFFTI.

Allied Behavioral Health Services (ABHS)
Learn about the non-profit that delivers CPP training across Tennessee.

Centers of Excellence (COE)
Learn about the five academic medical centers that serve as hubs for children who are in or at risk of state custody and that fostered CPP training.

Tennessee First Five Training Institute (TFFTI)
Explore this state-managed subsidiary of the AIMHiTN, which receives state funding to coordinate CPP training across Tennessee.

Key Resources
  • Tennessee Medicaid IECMH Program Billing Guidelines – Explore how CPP and other approved evidence-based practices qualify for differential reimbursement through Medicaid under the state’s intensive IECMH program.
  • Tennessee IECMH Best Practice Guidelines – Explore the state’s guidelines—drafted by a workgroup including two CPP trainers—that explain core concepts such as dyadic care, trauma attunement, and reflective practice.
  • Building Strong Brains Initiative – Explore details around the purpose, scope, and funding structure for Tennessee’s Building Strong Brains Initiative (which has since been rebranded as Resilient Tennessee). This initiative fund has provided funding, training, and coordination for multiple statewide CPP Learning Collaboratives.
    • In its FY 2020 awards, the Building Strong Brains Initiative funded Allied Behavioral Health Services to create the Tennessee First Five Training Institute (TFFTI), which has become the statewide home for CPP training. See the original FY20 funding announcement here.
  • Tennessee Safe Baby Courts Best Practice Standards – Explore how the state’s Safe Baby Courts program promotes dyadic evidence-based practices, including CPP.

*Numbers reflect individual providers and agencies named on the CPP Provider Roster as of January 2026.

The content of this document is intended for informational use only. If you are interested in becoming involved with CPP policy advocacy in your state, please fill out this survey.

The CPP Dissemination Team would like to thank Mindy Kronenberg, Alison Peak, and Jennifer Drake-Croft for providing context into CPP sustainability in Tennessee.