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Infant Mental Health is concerned with early relationships: their origins and their power
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CT Association for Infant Mental Health Newsletter
WINTER 2017
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The Mission of the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health (CT-AIMH) is to provide statewide opportunities to enhance knowledge and promote a positive influence on the social emotional health and development of infants, young children and their families/caregivers.
CT-AIMH President: Melissa Mendez
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Warm greetings to all of you on a cold winter day in Connecticut!
We are grateful to all of you who are so deeply invested in the development, advocacy, research, and practice in infant mental health.
Allow us to share with you some exciting updates and upcoming events...
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We Welcome You to our Upcoming Spring Conference! Save the Date*
April 13, 2017 from 9am to 12pm
Topic: How Addiction Impacts the Parenting Relationship
Where: Woodwinds, Branford, CT
Join us for the CT-AIMH spring conference with
Dr. Linda Mayes, the Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology and the Director of the Yale Child Study Center.
Dr. Mayes will
review models of addiction and an addictive process especially as these relate to social attachment and parenting. As adults transition to parenthood, reward and stress systems adapt at both neural and psychological levels to the demands of caring for an infant. Addiction in a parent impacts especially how rewarding caring for an infant is compared to the focus of the adults' addiction. Understanding how addiction impacts the transition to parenthood also informs the focus of interventions with addicted parents.
* Registration will be available in February
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CT-AIMH in Action...
We continue our contributions to the development of an infant mental health workforce through training, collaboration and the promotion of reflective practice. In 2017, we are offering:
- Statewide 8-day Infant Mental Health trainings funded through DCF and Head Start systems
- Childcare providers in both centers and family day care will receive IMH training, reflective supervision and the opportunity to apply for IMH endorsement through a grant provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
- Elm City Project LAUNCH efforts include training clinicians in Child Parent Psychotherapy and a 6-day IMH training for home visitors in New Haven
- Reflective Supervision groups will be offered to Head Start and Birth to Three staff
- Infant Mental Health collaboration meetings will be offered throughout the year in five communities
- Training for childcare providers on Early Childhood Obesity Prevention and early relationships
- Trauma Training needs assessment will be completed
- And much much more...
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Congratulations to our 2016 Jane C. Bourns Award winner!
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Kim Shepardson Watson, LCSW,
IMH-E®(C)
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Celebrate the contributions of a colleague with your nomination for the 2017 Jane C. Bourns Award
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Are you eager to advance your knowledge and skills in the field of infant mental health? Would you like to be recognized for education, training and practice in the field of infant mental health? Now is the time for you to take the next step in your personal and professional development! Join other Connecticut home visitors, clinicians and other therapeutic practitioners, child care providers, policymakers, program developers, researchers and advocates in becoming endorsed in infant mental health.
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We honor the 47 practitioners who have completed the endorsement process as infant mental health mentors, infant mental health specialists, infant family specialists or infant family associates- CONGRATULATIONS!
This chart highlights those 47 who have completed endorsement, and the programs, agencies or segment of the workforce that they represent.
There are many others who are in the process of working on becoming endorsed, and we applaud their progress!
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Join Our
CT-AIMH Committee Efforts!
Professional Development Advisory Committee
We are working on increasing the infant mental health knowledge and skills of Connecticut's infant and toddler workforce. This year we discussed Reflective Supervision, the Infant Mental Health Endorsement, and the progress of current projects. We are now meeting to work on the development of new projects including training early care providers, home day care providers and home visitors in East Hartford, developing a trauma training needs assessment and enhancing foster parent training. Please, contact
Heather Bonitz-Moore to learn more at
[email protected]
Policy
The policy committee has been working with the Child Health and Development Institute to investigate Medicaid funding for infant mental health services. This committee completed the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health Medicaid service survey. The committee is also supporting the Paid Family Leave initiative. Please contact Susan Vater to learn more at
[email protected]
Education and Outreach
This committee is in its formative stages and we need your ideas and passion. Please contact the committee chair, Melissa Mendez at
[email protected]
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Please, Renew Your CT-AIMH Membership for 2017!
Learn more about becoming a member
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When you have a chance, please visit the following links,
highlighting infant mental health, policy and practice development:
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Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health, Inc.
230 South Frontage Road
New Haven, CT 06520
Tel: 860-617-1965
Heidi Maderia, MS, IMH-E®, Executive Director
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