MAIECMH Launches New Professional Endorsement Program

Professional development in the field of infant and early childhood mental health is a lifelong

process. As an ever more diverse group of professionals strives to incorporate infant and early childhood mental health principles into their work, questions regarding who needs to know what and how individual competencies are developed to serve families and young children are becoming increasingly important.

In 1986, the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) developed a set of infant and early childhood mental health competency guidelines. Embedded in a continuous process of reflection and guided self-assessment, the guidelines assist practitioners in identifying what they know, what they don’t know, and what they need to know to work most effectively. In 2002, MI-AIMH developed a professional endorsement program based on these competencies to document the building of expertise among professionals who work with infants and young children as well as their parents and caregivers. A growing network of states has purchased the program and/or the competencies and are working together to promote these standards of practice.

In 2007, the Minnesota Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (MAIECMH, a division of MACMH) purchased—with support from the Bush Foundation, the Grotto Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services Children’s Mental Health Division—the competency guidelines and the endorsement program. Program implementation in Minnesota was launched at the Spring 2008 MACMH conference. Through the program, Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-based Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health, MAIECMH has endorsed ten Minnesota professionals, has accepted applications from another six, and fields many inquiries and requests for applications from other Minnesota professionals weekly. More important than the number of endorsed professionals is the broad-based support in Minnesota among nearly every sector of the many systems serving young children and families to advance these competencies.

Endorsement is available to providers and clinicians who work in a range of work settings and professional disciplines at four different professional levels spanning the continuum of care. Focusing on culturally sensitive, relationship-based infant and early childhood mental health, the program promotes and recognizes the professional development and work experiences of infant, early childhood, family service, health and mental health professionals.

Professional endorsement provides to families, professional peers, employers, and other consumers necessary information regarding a professional’s education and skills related to the social and emotional development and mental health of infants, young children, and their families. In addition, the endorsement process informs individual professional development and career planning within an organized framework focused on specialized knowledge, culturally competent best practice skills, supervised and guided work experiences, and reflective practice.

Potential applicants include MAIECMH members who have experience working with and/or on behalf of infants, young children, parents, and/or other caregivers and who meet the education, training, and reflective supervision requirements for each level of endorsement. For information regarding MAIECMH membership and the four levels of endorsement, go to www.macmh.org and click on MAIECMH-Documents Links.

Professionals who submit applications for endorsement by May 1, 2009, are eligible for a 30 percent discount on the endorsement fee. This special rate is offered exclusively during this charter membership year of the new association. Head Start applicants may also be eligible for a limited number of endorsement scholarships made available from the Minnesota Head Start Association. Endorsement inquiries can be made by e-mailing Candy Kragthorpe or calling 651-644-7333; or 1-800-528-4511.

MAIECMH Thanks 2008 Conference Supporters

• Cathy Carter, Maris Gilbert, Sharon Hesseltine, Jolene Pearson, and Jill Simon for the intensive Special Session 67 (and Scott Harman for assistance with slides).

• To Sara Carlson, for assistance with the MAIECMH booth.

• To Terry Hallfin, for assistance to Kadija Johnston and the book signing.

• To Michele Fallon, Jane Ellison, and Marit Appeldoorn for organizing, promoting, and assisting with Kadija Johnston’s sessions.

• To Christopher Watson for assistance with the endorsement poster session and review of early childhood proposals.