Endorsement & Reflective Supervision

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Endorsement & Reflective Supervision

Events & Training

Resources

Endorsement Categories & Requirements

What category should I apply for?

The infant and early childhood mental health field is cross disciplinary. It spans a range of sectors and services, including promotion, prevention, intervention, and leadership. Providers working with or on behalf of pregnant people, infants, toddlers, young children, and their families to support ongoing, healthy social emotional development with a culturally sensitive, relationship focused framework are represented within the categories of the Infant Mental Health Endorsement® (IMH-E®) and Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement (ECMH-E®)

Use the chart below to determine which category best represents your knowledge, skills, and expertise. It is helpful to consider the scope of practice that most aligns with your professional experience in the infant / early childhood mental health field.

Promotion

Infant Family Associate (IFA)
Early Childhood Family Associate (ECFA)

Professionals that work directly with pregnant people, infants, toddlers, and their families, or within a program that supports this population, in order to promote optimal social emotional development and / or early relational health.

This category includes early care and education providers and administrators, case managers, child welfare staff, healthcare professionals, and more.

Prevention

Infant Family Specialist (IFS)
Early Childhood Family Specialist (ECFS)

Professionals that work directly with pregnant people, infants, toddlers, and their families, or within a program that supports this population, in order to prevent relationship disturbances or disorders of infancy / early childhood.

This category includes some early care and education professionals, home visitors, early intervention providers, mental health consultants, infant-toddler technical assistance, childcare coaches, and more.

Intervention

Infant Mental Health Specialist (IMHS)
Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist (ECMHS)

Professionals that work directly with pregnant people, infants, toddlers, and their families, or within a program that supports this population, in order to provide intervention or treatment when relational disturbances or disorders of infancy / early childhood arise.

This category includes infant-parent or child-parent psychotherapists, clinical home visitors, other mental health providers, and more.

Leadership

Infant or Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor:

  • Clinical (IMHM-C, ECMHM-C)
  • Policy (IMHM-P, ECMHM-P)
  • Research/Faculty (IMHM-R/F, ECMHM-R/F)

Leaders in the field provide reflective supervision or administrative oversight within programs, teach in higher education settings, shape policy, or do research that addresses social emotional development, early relational health, or the treatment of infants, toddlers, and their caregivers.

This category includes reflective supervisors, program administrators, policy makers, higher education faculty, researchers, and more.

Add-on: Reflective Supervisor

Endorsed Reflective Supervisor Add-On (ERS)
*Add-on available for the Family Specialist and Mental Health Specialist Endorsements only.

Leads and provides reflective supervision and consultation for programs that serve pregnant people, infants, young children, and the families that support them in building healthy relationships, preventing social emotional issues, or providing treatment / intervention when those issues arise.

This Endorsement add-on includes reflective supervisors / consultants (or those aspiring to provide reflective supervision / consultation) in home visitation, early intervention, infant-toddler technical assistance or childcare coaching programs, child welfare, intervention / treatment programs, and more.

Application Requirements

Endorsement applicants across all categories demonstrate their experience in and knowledge of the competency areas specific to their scope of work (detailed within the Competency Guidelines®) by documenting the following in an online, peer-reviewed application:

  • Education
  • Professional experience
  • References
  • Continuing education or in-service training
  • Reflective supervision experiences (applicable categories only)

In some cases, applicants will be asked to take an exam tailored to their scope of work.

Each Endorsement category has specific work, education, in-service training, and reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) requirements. Each I/ECMH-E® category has specific work, education, in-service training, and reflective supervision / consultation (RSC) requirements. Before reviewing categories and requirements below, check out Endorsement Category Flowchart to see which category might be the best fit for you!

Pathways to Endorsement

All categories require 3 professional references, NCIMHA Membership, and a signed code of ethics agreement.

Education
Work Experience
Training
Reflective Supervision (RSC)
Exam
PROMOTION
Family Associate
(IFA or ECFA)
Any academic degree[1] OR minimum 2 years infant/early childhood related work or volunteer experience[2]
Any academic degree[1] OR minimum 2 years infant/early childhood related work or volunteer experience[2]
Minimum 33 hours, with 3 hrs on DEI in I/ECHMH
Recommended, not required
No
PREVENTION
Family Specialist
(IFS or ECFS)
No degree requirement
Minimum 2 years prevention and/or early intervention serving 0-3 or 3-6 year olds and their families; served a minimum of 10 families
Minimum 33 hours, with 3 hrs on DEI in I/ECHMH
Minimum 24 hours
No
INTERVENTION
Mental Health Specialist
(IMHS or ECMHS)
Masters or Post Graduate
Minimum 2 years post masters I/ECMH practice working on behalf of the infant / toddler-caregiver relationship
Minimum 33 hours, with 3 hrs on DEI in I/ECHMH
Minimum 50 hours
Yes
LEADERSHIP
Mental Health Mentor
(IMHM or ECMHM)
Masters or Post Graduate
Minimum 3 years as an I/ECHMH practice leader or reflective supervisor, and meets work requirements for I/ECHMH (clinical only)
Minimum 33 hours w/ 3 hrs on DEI in I/ECHMH, and 15 hrs on provision of RSC (clinical only)
Minimum 50 hours, with 25 hrs on provision of RSC to others (clinical only)
Yes
ADD-ON
Endorsed Reflective Supervisor Add-On
(ERS)
No degree requirement
Meets work requirement for FS or MHS, and has provided RSC for 1+ years with prevention/early intervention providers[3]
15 hours on provision of RSC
1 year providing RSC while also recieving 12 hrs of RSC focused on provision of RSC to others
No

Footnotes:

[1] IFA or ECFA applicants need to meet either the education OR the work requirement; they do not need to meet both.

[2]For IFA or ECFA applicants, volunteer experience may mee the work criterion if it was a supervised experience with women during pregnancy or with infants, toddlers, and families AND included specialized training. Examples include CASA, Doula, or Child Life Specialist.

[3] For ERS applicants who have yet to provide reflective supervision for 1+ years, there is an “emerging” status that can be utilized while you gain the necessary experience.

Still have questions?

Don’t worry if the process feels overwhelming at first. Endorsement is a very rewarding journey, and we are here to guide you every step of the way. If you need help, download our Getting Started Guide or get in touch with our staff.