WHY ENDORSEMENT?

Those who earn Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant and
Early Childhood Mental Health® (Endorsement®) have demonstrated completion of specialized education,
work, in-service training, and reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) experiences that lead to competency in
the promotion and/or practice of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH). The intention of
Endorsement® is to:

• Transform the ways in which professionals view, wonder about, consider, understand, and respond to the pregnant women, infants, young children, and families whom they serve.
• Support professionals who offer knowledgeable and skilled support to pregnant women, infants, young children, and families.
• Enhance professionals’ ability to identify risks to the physical, emotional, and relational health of infants and young children and to respond appropriately.
• Help professionals develop the capacity to shift perspective, address personal biases, set boundaries, and slow down, observe, and listen.
• Invite professionals to experience feeling heard, validated, and affirmed, within the context of a Reflective Supervision/Consultation relationship, for the work that they are doing with or on behalf of pregnant women, infants, young children, and families.

Endorsement® is a nationally recognized, evidence-informed system of I-ECMH standards promoting professional development pathways for all infant, child, and family-serving workforce sectors. Endorsement® is open to ANY South Carolina professional interested in demonstrating her/his expertise in infant and early childhood mental health.

Are YOU interested in seeking Endorsement®?

Send us an email : endorsement@scimha.org

SCIMHA gratefully acknowledges support from the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) for the creation of the Endorsement® materials, and from the SC Department of Social Services for initial funding using Child Care Development Block Grant funds. In adopting I-ECMH Competencies and Endorsement® , SCIMHA became a part of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health®, formed with the goal of ensuring consistency in professional standards across state lines, promoting the relational health of infants, young children, and families through workforce development and shared resources for infant and early childhood mental health associations. As of today, there are 30 states and 2 countries that are apart of the Alliance, all of which hold reciprocity of Endorsement® (see map).