Competency Guidelines for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting - Infant Mental Health Mentor Endorsement® Requirements

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw

Competency guidelines define education, training, and specialized postgraduate experience required for Infant Mental Health Mentor Endorsement®. Requirements include official transcripts across relevant degrees, demonstration of relationship-based training and continuing education, and successful completion of a multiple-choice exam. Applicants must meet minimum clock-hour thresholds and complete didactic reflective supervision/consultation training. Specialized experience is categorized as Clinical, Policy, or Research/Faculty, each requiring three years of relevant postgraduate leadership aligned with infant/family mental health principles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Competency Requirements

Education

Training and Continuing Education

Specialized Work Experience Categories

Clinical

Policy

Research/Faculty

Examples of Leadership Activities

Competency Guidelines for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health INFANT MENTAL HEALTH MENTOR ENDORSEMENT® REQUIREMENTS | Education | Official transcripts from all degrees earned and from any college credits earned are required. Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Education (MEd), Doctorate in Education (EdD), Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Medical Degree (MD), or other degree specific to one's professional focus in infant mental health, postgraduate specialization, or university certificate program; in accordance with the Competency Guidelines® | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Training
Note: There is an expectation that applicants for IMHM-P and IMHM-R/F have the same foundational knowledge as IMHM-C related to infant mental health principles and practices. All Infant Mental Health Mentor applicants will take the same multiple choice exam. | Applicants will include as many hours of relationship-based training and/or continuing education as necessary to document that competencies (as specified in Competency Guidelines®) have been met.
• For those whose degree is in a field that is unrelated to IMH, more specialized in-service training may be required to meet the breadth and depth of the competencies
• Training content will include the promotion of social-emotional development and the principles of infant and mental health
• Typically, successful IMHM applications include an average of 90 or more hours of specialized training unless the applicant has completed coursework specific to IMH competencies
• Minimum 30 clock hours required. Clinical applicants: A minimum of 15 hours must be didactic training about the provision of reflective supervision/consultation. | | | | Specialized Work Experience in at Least One of the Three Categories | Clinical
Meets specialized work experience criteria as specified at III1 plus three years of postgraduate experience providing infant mental health (IMH) reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) and other leadership activities at the regional or state | Policy
Three years of postgraduate experience as a leader in policy and/or program administration related to the infant/family field and other leadership activities at the regional or state | Research/Faculty
Three years of postgraduate experience as a leader in university-teaching and/or published research related to the infant/family field and other leadership activities at the regional or state | 1 Two years, postgraduate, supervised work experiences providing culturally sensitive, relationship-focused, infant mental health services. This specialized work experience must be with both the infant/very young child and his/her biological, foster, or adoptive parents or guardians on behalf of the parent-infant relationship. Infant mental health services will include parent-infant/very young child relationship-based therapies & practices and early relationship assessment and can include concrete assistance, advocacy, emotional support, developmental guidance. These therapies and practices are intended to explicitly address issues related to attachment, separation, trauma and unresolved losses as they affect the development, behavior, and care of the infant/very young child. The unresolved losses, or “ghosts,”might be from adverse childhood experience that occurred during the caregivers’own infancy/early childhood or may be more recent for the child. Strong feelings, such as grief and loss, could also be associated with diagnosis or manifestation of a chronic illness, delay, or disability. Please see IMHS requirements for additional details. Copyright © 2002, 2011, 2014, 2016 MI-AIMH 1 Competency Guidelines for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health | Exam

FAQs

What education documentation is required for the Infant Mental Health Mentor endorsement?

Official transcripts are required from all degrees earned and any college credits earned. Relevant degrees listed include MA, MS, MEd, EdD, MSW, MSN, PsyD, PhD, DO, MD, or other degree specific to professional focus in infant mental health.

What training hours and content are required?

Applicants must include relationship-based training and/or continuing education sufficient to document competencies. Typically, successful applications include an average of 90+ hours, with a minimum of 30 clock hours. Clinical applicants require at least 15 hours of didactic training about reflective supervision/consultation provision.

How does specialized work experience differ across the Clinical, Policy, and Research/Faculty categories?

Clinical requires three years of postgraduate experience providing infant mental health reflective supervision/consultation and leadership activities. Policy requires three years of postgraduate leadership in policy and/or program administration related to the infant/family field. Research/Faculty requires three years of postgraduate leadership in university teaching and/or published research related to the infant/family field, plus regional or state leadership activities.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw