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®)
Promotion
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
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
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
*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.
(IFA or ECFA)
(IFS or ECFS)
(IMHS or ECMHS)
(IMHM or ECMHM)
(ERS)
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.
The table above represents only a summary of the IMH-E® and ECMH-E® categories. Detailed information specific to each category can be viewed / downloaded below:
- Early Childhood Family Associate (ECFA)
- Early Childhood Family Specialist (ECFS)
- Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist (ECMHS)
- Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Clinical (ECMHM-C)
- Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Policy (ECMHM-P)
- Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Research/Faculty (ECMHM-R/F)
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.