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"The multidisciplinary approach to the field of Infant Mental Health calls my attention to broader aspects of development like physical health, movement and speech that also register in the emotional realm of everyone in the family. As a therapist, this broadens my thinking about the many factors in play during development."

- CATHERINE HILL PHIlLIPS, LICSW
Graduate Certificate Program
Class of 2005

Our Approach to Infant Mental Health

At CIMHD, we believe that healthy infant development rests on the foundation of relationships — relationships that help babies feel secure and confident that their needs will be met as they explore their worlds. Extensive research has shown that the quality of experiences in the first 3 years of life has a profound impact on later development, including how children perform in school and their ability to form satisfying relationships with teachers, friends and others. Having caring relationships with sensitive parents or other primary caregivers is the most important factor in determining later outcomes.

Our work — research, training and advocacy — is framed within a universal awareness of the importance of these early years and is aimed at supporting relationships between caregivers and young children.

Built on a foundation of community-based collaborative relationships, we work with organizations in arenas such as early learning, physical and mental health, childcare, and child welfare. Our research projects include longitudinal, natural history observational studies of infants and their families, controlled trials testing the efficacy of interventions, longitudinal studies to measure the long-term impact of interventions, as well as program evaluation in the arena of early learning.

Our training programs include community-based Promoting First Relationships training, as well as the university-based Irving B. Harris Graduate Certificate in Infant Mental Health through the School of Nursing. Our training programs meet a profound need in our community, state and region for building a cadre of practitioners in a wide array of disciplines, including nursing, psychology, education, speech and hearing, rehabilitation medicine, and social work. Training focuses on supporting trainees to evaluate and address the infant mental health needs of vulnerable families facing environmental stressors such as poverty and homelessness, personal challenges such as maternal depression and trauma histories, and health conditions like prematurity and diagnosed special needs in infants.

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