LIVE: Working with Infants and Young Children: Considerations for Mental Health Professionals
September 20, 2024
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific
2 Hours | 2 CEs
$125 Registration | $100 Early Registration (through September 13th) | Live Virtual Training via Zoom
Rachel Jacoby, PhD and Tricia Woodliff, PhD present a live virtual professional training program on Working with Infants and Young Children: Considerations for Mental Health Professionals.
The term "Infant Mental Health" originated in a program for parents with children aged 0-3 facing relationship problems (Fraiberg, 1980). Zero to Three, focused on training, advocacy, and leadership, defines Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) as the developing capacity of a child from birth to 5 years old to form close relationships, manage emotions, and explore within the family, community, and culture (Zero to Three, 2022). Current definitions extend from before birth to 6 years.
Infant Mental Health (IMH) stands apart, emphasizing relational aspects and viewing the parent-child dyad as the ultimate client (Brandt, 2014). IMH prioritizes everyday moments, fostering crucial attachments for child development. Practices must be developmentally attuned and culturally responsive (Zeanah & Zeanah, 2019).
IECMH is globally expanding, with growing multidisciplinary training programs. However, there's a lack of consensus on effective methods (Hinshaw-Fuselier et al., 2019). Despite limited data supporting a global endorsement policy, research in reflective supervision, theory, and systems informs evidence-supported IMH practices (Weatherston et al., 2009).
The ultimate goal is early addressing of relational concerns, wiring the brain for healthy relationships, and preventing long-term consequences of early adversity. Currently, there's insufficient emphasis on working with children aged birth to 5 in counselor education, despite evidence highlighting the critical importance of early years. It's asserted that counselor education programs should provide opportunities for students to ethically work with this high-need population. This program aims to address the need for IMH training and explore ways to integrate intensive training into online Counselor Education Programs.
This training is intended for mental health professionals, particularly counselors, and will benefit those who work with or plan to work with children or parents.