Infant Mental Health

Infant Mental Health Certificate Program

The Infant Mental Health Certificate is designed to offer participants knowledge, insights, and skills related to working with infants/young children and their caregivers. These courses introduce students to the field of infant mental health and facilitate development of clinical skills, including observing, thinking, and reflecting while working with infants/young children and their caregivers in a family system. Students will explore their own internal process while working with infants/young children and family systems. They will be exposed to current research supporting early intervention, assessment and treatment approaches. A total of 64 continuing education credit hours are required to complete this certificate or a combination of quarter credits and CECs.

64-HOUR CERTIFICATE
4 required core courses
$365 for 16 CECs*
*Southwestern College students may take these courses at the Continuing Education price unless they are using the course to meet graduate program degree requirements.

Overview of Infant Mental Health: Neurobiology, Regulation and the Developing Brain

Focus on Attachment and Development: Use of Self, Theoretical Foundations, and Reflective Practices

Relationship as Client: Child-Caregiver Dyadic Interaction and the Family System

From Reflection to Action: Reflective Practice, Intervention, and Treatment

Click here to see upcoming classes for this certificate.

Program Learning Outcomes

KNOWLEDGE
Students will demonstrate familiarity with the competencies related to Infant Mental Health, including reflective practice, dyadic and systems interactions, attachment and development.

SKILLS
Students will demonstrate increasing skill at reflective practice, observation, description, critical thinking and holding multiple perspectives.

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR
Students will demonstrate an ability to engage in reflective practice that includes multicultural awareness, openness, empathy, respect, and holding multiple perspectives regarding relational and systemic dynamics.

Where you might use these skills

Behavioral health agencies serving infants and families
Hospitals
In-home settings
Private practice
Day care sites and preschools

Content:

"Southwestern College has been an amazing part of my journey. This education endeavor as an art therapist has been a series of miracles for me. I've seen such a shift in myself. It's been a beautiful experience."

Crystal Hoffman, Graduate

"I'm honored to be applying myself in a clinical environment and my experience at Southwestern enabled me to not only work as an art therapist but to facilitate mindfulness groups. A dream within a dream job I had not even fathomed."

Anna Mills, Graduate

"My experience at Southwestern has been truly transformational. From the lessons learned in Consciousness class to my light figure project and vision quest. The impact on me and on my soul has been absolutely profound."

Stephanie Albury. Graduate 2012

"I'm thankful for everyone at Southwestern College...The deeper sense of myself has been seen, heard, honored and found. I'm so grateful to be able to share it with other people."

Cynthia Alexis, Graduate

"I chose to go back to school for my 50th birthday. Little did I know I would be re-birthed... This is sacred work for me. May the work that we do be of service and benefit to all."

Eliza Buck, Graduate

"This is the place that empowered me to do things the way that I do them, the way I'm good at doing them. I've come to surmise that to be an art therapist; to me means being an artist at therapy so the therapy is the art. The creative engagement with another, with each other, that is the art. "

Renee Borsberry, from Art Therapy Capstone Presentation

"The New Earth Institute of Southwestern College offers an array of educational and transformational opportunities to the community. It has been a rich and rewarding experience, enabling the college to grow and expand our mission of transforming consciousness through education. True education engages and awakens all parts of one’s being, allowing for the integration of mind, body and spirit. It cultivates reverence for life and nurtures us in the journey of the soul.”

Katherine Ninos, Vice President

"It has been an extremely amazing journey; the past two years. There has been a lot of pain, a lot of joy and a lot of learning. I think the thing I've learned the most about this experience is trusting the process."

Denise Moore, Graduate

"I feel so much gratitude for being part of this caring, supporting, reflective, soulful community."

Linnea Knoespel, Graduate

CrystalHoffmanGraduate
AnnaMillsGraduate
StephanieAlburyGraduate2012
CynthiaAlexisGraduate
ElizaBuckGraduate
ReneeBorsberryfromArtTherapyCapstonePresentation
KatherineNinosVicePresident
DeniseMooreGraduate
LinneaKnoespelGraduate