Endorsement

Showcase your skills in the field of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health by completing our nationally-recognized Endorsement® process.

Available to providers and clinicians who work in a range of settings and disciplines, Endorsement® is a career development pathway that honors professionals’ specialized education, skills and work experiences through a credential designed to demonstrate proficiency in the field.

Learn More About Endorsement

Endorsement® is an internationally recognized credential used to demonstrate specialization in the infant-early childhood mental health field. Endorsement® was developed by MI-AIMH in 2002 and is now used by 34 state infant mental health associations and two international associations.

Endorsement® gives you a credential you can take with you throughout your career to demonstrate your proficiency in the field of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health.

It’s built on the idea of ensuring all professionals who work with infants, young children and their families — regardless of their training discipline — share a core set of competencies.* These core competencies include theoretical foundations; law, regulation & agency policy; systems expertise; direct service skills; working with others; communicating; thinking; and reflection.

*The materials supporting the Competency Guidelines® are copyrighted by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH). MACMH-IEC is able to make these materials available to our membership and collaborators through a licensing agreement with the MI-AIMH. Copyright law does allow individuals to print out or make ONE copy of copyrighted material for personal, non-commercial purposes only. None of the copyrighted Endorsement® documents included here may be reproduced, displayed, distributed or otherwise used in any format, including electronically, without the express written consent of MI-AIMH. Legal action will be taken against those who violate the copyright.

What does the Endorsement process look like?

The Endorsement process includes preparing a professional portfolio of materials — degrees, coursework, training, in-services, work experience, reflective supervision and professional references — that is then reviewed by professional reviewers.

Those pursuing the Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Mental Health Mentor pathways must also complete a three-hour written exam that includes multiple choice questions, and clinical, policy or faculty/research vignettes to assess your knowledge, skills and competencies.

To learn more about what the Endorsement process could look like for you, explore our Endorsement pathway options in the next tab.

Choose an Endorsement Pathway

No matter what your job title, there’s an Endorsement pathway for you. Explore the four pathways below to find the one that best fits your work and is best suited to your needs.

To be Endorsed as an Infant/ Early Childhood Family Associate, you’ll need:

  • To meet MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines
  • A CDA or Associates Degree
  • 2 years of work experience in infant/early childhood field
  • A Signed Code of Ethics
  • 30 hours of training exhibiting knowledge, skills, and practice of Competency Guidelines
  • 3 Professional References – at least one from an Endorsed professional

Total Cost: $40 (plus Infant & Early Childhood Division membership fee)

To be Endorsed as an Infant/ Early Childhood Family Specialist, you’ll need:

  • To meet MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines
  • A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree
  • 2 years of work experience in infant/early childhood field
  • A Signed Code of Ethics
  • 30 hours of training exhibiting knowledge, skills, and practice of Competency Guidelines
  • 24 clock hours of Reflective Supervision within 2 years
  • 3 Professional References – at least one from an Endorsed professional

Total Cost: $65 (plus Infant & Early Childhood Division membership fee)

To be Endorsed as an Infant/ Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, you’ll need:

  • To meet MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines
  • A Master’s or Post-Graduate Degree
  • 2 years post-Master’s work experience in infant/early childhood field
  • A signed code of ethics
  • 30 hours of training exhibiting knowledge, skills, and practice of Competency Guidelines, with 3 hours specific to diversity, equity, and inclusion in Infant Mental Health
  • 50 clock hours of Reflective Supervision within 2 years
  • 3 Professional References – at least one from an Endorsed professional
  • To pass a written exam

Total Cost: $225 (plus Infant & Early Childhood Division membership fee)

To be Endorsed as an Infant/ Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor, you’ll need:

  • To meet MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines
  • A Master’s, Post-Graduate, Doctorate, MD
  • 3 years of post-Master’s work experience in infant/early childhood field
  • 30 hours of training exhibiting knowledge, skills, and practice of Competency Guidelines, with 15 hours specific to the provision of reflective supervision/consultation and 3 hours specific to diversity, equity, and inclusion in Infant Mental Health
  • A Signed Code of Ethics
  • 50 clock hours of clinical Reflective Supervision within 2 years
  • 3 Professional References – at least one from an Endorsed professional
  • To pass a written exam

Total Cost: $325 (plus Infant & Early Childhood Division membership fee)

Annual Endorsement Renewal

Professionals endorsed in all categories are required to participate in a minimum of 15 clock hours of specialized in-service training specific to culturally sensitive, relationship-focused practice promoting infant and early childhood mental health each year after Endorsement.  It is possible for endorsed professionals to count coursework toward this requirement if the course(s) are related to the Competency Guidelines.  If the endorsed professional provides Reflective Supervision/ Consultation (RS/C) to others, 3 of the 15 hours annually must be about the provision of RS/C.  Up to 50% of a professionals training hours may come from time spent providing training to others and/or hours spent volunteering to support an Infant Mental Health Associations (MACMH-IEC) Endorsement capacity growth, On-going membership with MACMH-IEC is also required.

Professionals endorsed as IFS, IFRS, IMHS, and IMHM-C are also required to receive a minimum of 12 hours annually of Reflective Supervision/ Consultation (RS/C) from a qualified provider about the direct service, and if appropriate, the RSC they provide to others.  Once an IMHM-C professional has earned and maintained IMHM-C for a minimum of 3-years they are required to receive a minimum of 10-hours of RSC annually; peer supervision or collaborative consultation* (with those endorsed at the same category) will count toward the minimum annual renewal hours for IMHM-C professionals.

Upcoming Endorsement Deadlines

Everyone who pursues Endorsement will complete a professional portfolio of materials to be reviewed by professional reviewers. Those pursuing the Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Mental Health Mentor pathways must also complete a written exam.

Upcoming deadlines for both portfolio applications and Endorsement exams are below.

Due to the evolving situation with COVID-19, portfolio application and Endorsement exam dates may be subject to change. If you have questions, please contact us.

Portfolio Application Date(s) for Infant/Early Childhood Family Associates, Infant/Early Childhood Family Specialists, & Infant/Early Childhood Family Reflective Supervisors
  • January 1, 2023

Portfolio Application Date(s) for Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists & Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentors
  • March 1, 2024
Exam Dates for Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialists & Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentors
  • February 2024- Possibly an in-person exam, or virtual exams scheduled throughout the month

Accommodations for the Examination: If you would like an accommodation for either part of the examination, you must submit a written request to the Endorsement Coordinator no later than 3 weeks before your examination date. The request must detail the kind of accommodation being requested, as well as documentation of the need for an accommodation, except for ESL accommodations (no documentation is required). We are committed to meeting the needs of all members but may not be able to grant every accommodation request. We will work closely with you to develop a plan that offers a reasonable accommodation without compromising the integrity of the examination, your identity, or the identity of the Reviewers. In these instances, it may be necessary and appropriate to offer the exam on a different date in order to accommodate you. If we are unsure of the appropriate accommodation for a special circumstance, you may contact the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health Quality Assurance Director.

If your primary language is something other than English and you request an accommodation, you can have up to an additional 60 minutes for each section of the exam, i.e., a total of 2 ½ hours for Part One and a total of 2 ½ hours for Part Two. In addition, you may take a dictionary into the examination to assist in translation. ESL accommodations do not require documentation except for a written request for the standard extension of time outlined above. If more time than the standard extension is requested, further documentation may be required. 

As a nonprofit organization that supports a wide variety of communities across the state of Minnesota & beyond, we understand that cost can be a barrier when seeking Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement that can prevent early childhood professionals from reaching their full potential.

MACMH is prepared to provide financial support for individuals seeking Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement, and has a limited fund to support Scholarship towards Membership, endorsement Fees and Reflective Consultation.

If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please apply using our scholarship application form and a MACMH staff member will be in contact within 1 week of submission. 

Email aamos@macmh.org with any questions.

Start the Endorsement Process

There are several steps to getting Endorsed, and we’re here to help you along the way. To get started you can register on the EASy website. If you’re planning to pursue Endorsement at the Mental Health Specialist or Mental Health Mentor categories, once registered on EASy you will receive a study packet from our endorsement coordinator. Contact our Endorsement Coordinator, Amanda Amos at endorsement@macmh.org for more information.

Registry of Endorsed Professionals

MACMH-IEC proudly recognizes the following professionals who have earned I/ECMH Endorsement ® and proven their competency in the infant/early childhood-family field. The MACMH-IEC Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-focused Practice Promoting Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (I/ECMH-E®) is intended to recognize experiences that lead to competency in the infant/early childhood-family field. It does not replace licensure or certification, but instead is meant as evidence of a specialization in this field. The MACMH-IEC Endorsement® is cross-sector and multidisciplinary including professionals from child and/or human development, education, nursing, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, social work, and others. Endorsement® indicates an individual’s efforts to specialize in the promotion/practice of infant/early childhood mental health within his/her own chosen discipline.

 

Endorsement involves a standardized process to determine that a professional has accumulated specialized experiences in the infant and early childhood field and has signed a Code of Ethics.  All applicants receive a copy of the Code of Ethics.  An applicant’s experiences are documented by the submission of an application that details competency-based training, specialized work experiences, and for most, reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) experiences.  The application also includes official transcripts and three reference ratings.  Endorsees as Infant Mental Health Specialist and Infant Mental Health Mentor have passed an exam that includes measures of theoretical knowledge, direct service skills, and their capacity to apply these principles into practice.  This exam is scored by a team of two reviewers who are blind to the identity of the examinee.  To maintain Endorsement also requires ongoing training and, in the cases of Infant/Early Childhood Family Specialist, Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Infant/Early Childhood Health Mentor-Clinical, ongoing RSC. Endorsees are also required to re-commit to upholding the Code of Ethics annually.  Beginning in January of 2022, this commitment includes signing an attestation that the endorsee has not been sanctioned by a licensing board. 

Endorsement is not a professional license or a certificate. Endorsement cannot guarantee the quality of service of any endorsed professional.  Endorsement does not include a process by which complaints or concerns regarding ethics can be filed.  If MACMH-IEC becomes aware of possible ethics violations by an endorsed professional, complainants are encouraged to, when applicable, contact the individual’s professional licensing board.  Endorsement does not offer monitoring for ethics violations, however if MACMH-IEC learns that an endorsed professional has been sanctioned by a licensing board, the individual’s name is moved to the Inactive Endorsement Registry.