Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health

Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding MI-AIMH Endorsement

The Endorsement Application System (EASy) is now available!!

You can now apply for endorsement on-line at https://easy.mi-aimh.org/  We call it EASy for Endorsement Application System.  Once you are on this site, click on Register under New Applicant.  We strongly recommend that you use a personal email address as many health and mental health employer email servers often reject the messages that are sent to you by the EASy system.  The registration process asks for the same basic information that you would have provided on a paper preliminary application.  Once we receive notification that you've registered, confirmed that your MI-AIMH membership is current, and we've confirmed payment of your preliminary application fee (done when you register), we "accept" your application. Next, you'll receive an email from EASy with a user name and password.  You can log back in to add to your portfolio any time and any place you have a computer with an internet connection.  There is a in-system Help tool and in-system messaging that allows you to ask questions along the way. 

Next Date for Endorsement Examination:  September 13, 2013

Additional details about the exam date, location, and portfolio review submission deadlines can be found at http://mi-aimh.org/events-list?type=endorsement

The Endorsement Process

Q. What is involved in applying for and earning Endorsement?

A.  NEW process - Submit the preliminary application, compile, and submit your Endorsement portfolio on line via EASy by going to https://easy.mi-aimh.org/

Please note that as of January 1, 2013, MI-AIMH is no longer accepting preliminary application on paper.  Anyone who begins the endorsement process on or after January 1, 2013 must use EASy to apply (see top of page).  OLD paper process for portfolio compilation, and portfolio submission only for those who submitted a paper preliminary application by December 31, 2012.

Steps to apply for the MI-AIMH Endorsement® via EASy (on-line)

1.  Registration  

To begin your endorsement application, go to https://easy.mi-aimh.org/ and click on the register button.  It is strongly recommended that you register using a personal email address (e.g., gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc).  Employer email servers often block messages sent by the EASy system.  Registration requires you to provide brief information about your specialized education, work, and reflective supervision/consultation experiences.  You will be asked to pay a registration fee (formerly known as the Preliminary Application Fee) via Google Checkout using a credit card.  Fees can be found in the table below.

Please note that Google Checkout does accept payment via debit cards, however many issuing banks block this kind of transaction.  If you're having trouble paying with your debit card, it is recommended that you contact the issuing bank or use a credit card instead.

Infant Family Associate (Level I) - $15

Infant Family Specialist (Level II) - $20

Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III) - $25

Infant Mental Health Mentor (Level IV) - $25

Q. How much does Endorsement cost?

A. Fees vary according to the level of endorsement being sought. 

The costs for Level III & IV are in line with credentialing fees that have been established by other professional organizations, e.g. CDA (Child Development Associate) and ACSW (Accreditation for Certified Social Workers). The credentialing fees support the overhead costs of the MI-AIMH Endorsement (IMH-E®) and allow us to have portfolios and tests carefully reviewed.

Q. What is the value of a Competency-Based System of endorsement?

A. Endorsement is valuable in three ways:

• Endorsement provides a set of competencies for professional development in the infant and family field.
• Endorsement assures that persons providing culturally sensitive, relationship-focused services promoting infant mental health meet standards that are approved by a highly recognized professional organization for the discipline of infant mental health.
• Endorsement recognizes the importance of continuing education and training for professionals in the infant and family field. Those who earn the endorsement demonstrate their commitment to this principle as they provide services that promote infant mental health with a high level of quality and integrity.

Q. Why should I apply for Endorsement?

A. Consider the following:

• To enhance your professional profile as a specialist in the infant and family field
• To affirm the specialized knowledge and skills you have acquired through formal education experience and in-service training
• To validate the work that you have done under the guidance and supervision of experienced mentors in the infant and family field
• To link your professional growth and development to competency standards that reflect best practice
• To be identified as a competent professional in a system that reflects commitment to best practice and quality care for all infants, toddlers and families

Q.  What benefit is there if I've earned a certificate in infant mental health?

A. Graduates from a college or university program or post-graduate certificate program in infant mental health must submit documentation of completion of the program, such as a copy of diploma or certificate.  Certificate holders may find that their course work has documented their competency in all of the knowledge and skill areas under Theoretical Foundations and Direct Service Skills as defined for Infant Family Specialist (Level II) or Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III).  The approved competencies vary from program to program.  Please contact Nichole Paradis at nparadis@mi-aimh.org for more details.  

Although most of the competencies are documented by the completion of a university-based certificate in IMH, certificate holders who apply for endorsement must still include at least 30 hours of specialized in-service training.

The official transcript requirement is waived for those who have earned a graduate certificate in infant mental health from Wayne State University, University of Michigan, or Michigan State University.

Reflective Supervision/Consultation

Q. What are the requirements for reflective supervision/consultation at Level II, Level III and Level IV (Clinical)?

A. In regards to reflective supervision/consultation, applicants applying at Level II must receive a minimum of 24 clock hours in no less than one year and no more than a two-year time frame. Applicnats at Level III must have received a minimum of 50 clock hours of reflective supervision/consultation within the same time 1-2 year time frame. Reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) that meets criteria for endorsement must come from someone who is endorsed at Level III or Level IV-Clinical. The only exception is for applicants who are pursuing Level II and are Bachelor's prepared; they can receive qualified reflective supervision/consultation from someone who has earned Level II endorsement AND is Master's prepared.

For information on policy changes related to RSC and endorsement renewal, please see http://www.mi-aimh.org/endorsement-policies  

Q. When we are listing reflective supervision received, are we only able to list supervisors who were formally trained in reflective supervision? The reason I ask is that I had former supervisors in other work positions whose styles of supervision were very reflective, but I do not know for sure if they were formally trained in that model of supervision?

A. Reflective supervision/consultation that meets criteria for MI-AIMH endorsement should come from an individual who has earned endorsement at Infant Mental Health Mentor - Clinical (Level IV) or Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III). So, as you said, lots of clinical supervision is reflective, but perhaps not all is from a specialist in infant mental health. For your portfolio, please only include those hours that were provided by an individual who has earned endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Mentor - Clinical (Level IV) or Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III),

Q. My direct supervisor is not an infant mental health specialist and has not earned endorsement. Our team does present cases to a clinical consultant hired from outside the agency once a month at a two-hour meeting, and the consultant is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III). However, there are six on our team, so I only present cases twice a year. Do any of the hours spent in these case presentations count toward endorsement?

A. Yes, if you meet and participate in the case consultations once a month for two hours, you will have 24 hours of reflective consultation that meets criteria for Endorsement.

Q. I have received my reflective supervision and consultation from multiple sources, i.e., former supervisor, current supervisor, program consultant, and reflective practice group. Should I include all of these sources?

A. If all of those sources meet criteria for endorsement (see previous question), you may include them all as long as the majority of the required clock hours were provided by just one or two supervisors/consultants.

As in relationship-focused practice with families, reflective supervision/consultation is most effective when it occurs in the context of a relationship that has an opportunity to develop by meeting regularly with the same supervisor/consultant over a period of time. Therefore, MI-AIMH expects that endorsement applicants will have received the majority of the hours (24 clock hour minimum for Level II and 50 clock hours for Levels III & IV-Clinical) come from just one source with the balance coming from no more than one other source. The hours for Level II, III, and IV-Clinical applicants need to have occurred in a period of time that is more than one year and less than two years. For example, a Level III applicant may submit 48 hours of individual reflective supervision provided by the supervisor from Jan 07 through Dec 07 and 12 hours of reflective group supervision provided by a program consultant from Jan 06 through Dec 07.

Some applicants may have special circumstances, e.g. if the program supervisor changed or if the applicant moved positions. Exceptions regarding the number of reflective supervision/consultation providers should be discussed with the Endorsement Coordinator, Nichole Paradis: nparadis@mi-aimh.org, 734-785-7705 x 7210.

Q.  There is a co-worker in my agency who has earned endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III).  Can this co-worker provide the hours of reflective supervision I need for my endorsement application?

A.  Peer supervision (defined as colleagues meeting together without an identified supervisor/consultant to guide the reflective process), while valuable for many experienced practitioners, does not meet the reflective super-vision/consultation criteria for endorsement.  The provider of reflective supervision is charged with holding the emotional content of the cases presented.  The ability to do so is compromised when the provider is a peer of the presenter.  Unnecessary complications can arise when the provider of reflective supervision has concerns about a peer’s ability to serve a particular family due to the peer’s emotional response AND the provider and peer share office space, e.g.

You may find answers to other questions like this in MI-AIMH’s Best Practice Guidelines for Reflective Supervision/Consultation.

Specialized In-Service Training

Q. I have attended well over 30 hours of in-service training but I’m not sure if all of it will be accepted. Should I submit a list of every in-service training I’ve ever attended?

A. All in-service training hours that meet criteria toward endorsement must be related to the MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines. Be sure to list which specific knowledge or skill area is covered at each training, e.g., attachment, separation and loss; cultural competence; etc. For a training to count toward endorsement at least one competency must have been covered. It is important to remember that endorsement reflects training specialization in the promotion of culturally sensitive, relationship-based practice promoting social and emotional well-being in the first years of life or infant mental health.

Although the minimum requirement is 30 hours, we expect endorsement applicants to document that they have achieved competency in all (or almost all) of the categories (as identified at your desired level) via college course work, on-the-job training, in-service opportunities and reflective supervision/consultation. So, if there are still gaps in your competencies with only 30 hours, include as many others as you can to fill those gaps.

Q. How do I know when my portfolio demonstrates enough to show a competency area has been met?

A.  This is a question where the answer varies greatly depending on many factors including how long ago you took college courses, how specific the course or training is to infant mental health, number of hours, etc.  A minimum of two trained portfolio reviewers carefully examine all the material in your portfolio including college transcripts, in-service training record, and reference rating forms.  Portfolio reviewers will be looking most closely at the competency areas under Theoretical Foundations, Direct Service Skills, and Reflection.  For the areas of Theoretical Foundations (including pregnancy & early parenthood; infant/very young child development & behavior; attachment, separation, trauma, & loss; cultural competence; etc.) and the areas of Direct Service Skills (including observation & listening; screening & assessment; etc) competency must be docmented by course work and/or in-service training.  That is, work experience alone is not enough to document competency in areas such as attachement, separation, trauma, & loss or screening & assessment.

Q. How far back can I go when including trainings that meet criteria for Endorsement?

A. There is no limit on how long ago the training was attended to be counted toward requirements. Some applicants may have been in the field for many years and are encouraged to include all the trainings that have shaped their practice in infant-family work. However, it is not necessary to submit a comprehensive list of every training ever attended. The list should reflect a balance of breadth and depth across the competencies and the promotion of infant mental health.

Q. Are only MI-AIMH sponsored trainings eligible for Endorsement?

A. The training does not need to be sponsored by MI-AIMH to be eligible to count toward your minimum for Endorsement. In fact, many trainings that you attend for professional licensing or agency requirements may also qualify for Endorsement (for example an ethics training for social workers, Early On training about family-centered planning, or doula training, to name only a few).

A specialized training that is eligible for Endorsement should meet the following criteria:

1. Is culturally sensitive, relationship-focused and promotes infant mental health
2. Relates to one or more of the competencies in the MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines
3. Is specific to the level of endorsement at which you are applying
   

Q. I was reading the Endorsement requirements for trainings at Level II and it states I need "30 clock hours of relationship-based education training pertaining to the social and emotional development of infants, toddlers and families" and then under Continuing Endorsement Requirements it states: "15 hours per year of relationship-based education training, approved by the organization, specific to the social and emotional well-being of infants, toddlers, and families."  Are these two separate requirements or do they overlap?

A. The minimum of 30 clock hours that is required with your portfolio can have been earned over the course of your career, even if they were attended many years ago.  It is important to keep in mind that, unless you had college/university coursework that was specific to infant mental health, most applicants need far more than 30 hours of specialized training to document that the competencies have been met.

In order to renew Endorsement, a minimum of 15 additional hours of specialized in-service training is required annually. MI-AIMH's annual membership is based on the calendar year, from January to December. Endorsement renewals will follow the calendar year.  The E-form for Annual Renewal should be submitted when membership is renewed.  The Annual Renewal form can be downloaded from the Endorsement page.  There is a Documents section as you scroll down the right side of the page.  The Annual Renewal form is emailed to Deborah Kahraman at dkahraman@mi-aimh.og  

If you earned endorsement in 2012, your requirement to submit renewal hours begins in 2013.  Your first renewal form is due to MI-AIMH no later than January 31, 2014.

Q. Are there any in-service trainings, conferences or courses that are mandatory while working toward endorsement?

A. No. But we do strongly recommend that you carefully review the MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines to identify the skill and knowledge areas for the level at which you are applying. We expect applicants to document competency in these areas either through course work, reflective supervision/consultation, and/or in-service training. It is important to seek out in-service training/conference offerings that will fill in any competency gaps you might have. Some skill areas (such as empathy and compassion, self-awareness) will be documented in the three reference ratings that you will include with your portfolio.

MI-AIMH offers an optional self-study form called The Getting Started Form that can help you identify your competency strengths and gaps.

Trainings that might not meet criteria would be focused primarily on school-aged children or adolescents or the elderly. Of additional importance to note, all MI-AIMH sponsored trainings will also meet criteria for social work CEUs.

Q. I heard from a colleague that I could count only one conference in my Professional Portfolio. Is that true?

A. Applicants must list a minimum of 30 hours of relevant in-service training. Applicants are encouraged to include all relevant conferences that they have attended, but only one conference (with many workshops) may be counted toward the 30-hour minimum. MI-AIMH recognizes that conferences are an important way to be exposed to new material, but believes a balance with lengthier, more intense in-services of six hours or more helps to build skills.

Specialized Work Experience

Q. Is there a difference between the specialized work experiences that meet criteria for Infant Family Specialist (Level II) versus Infant Mental Health Specialist (Level III)?

A. Yes, in general Level II work experience is more broad and encompasses many of the ways that applicants might work with the families of infants and toddlers including case management, Part C service coordination, parent-child play groups, parent education, and family support. Level III work experiences are often (but not always) home-based and include the following interventions: advocacy, developmental guidance, emotional support, concrete assistance, and parent-infant/very young child relationship-based therapies and practices.  These therapies and practices are intended to explore issues related to attachment, separation, trauma, and unresolved losses as they affect the development, behavior and care of the infant/very young child.  The therapies and practices may include but are not limited to parent-infant psychotherapy, interaction guidance, and child-parent psychotherapy.

Competence as an Infant Mental Health Specialist builds with supervised work experience over time with services delivered to the families of infants and toddlers that are relationship-focused and culturally sensitive with an emphasis on examining the role of relationships in reflective supervision.  

Q.  How many infants or toddlers do I need to work with to meet the specialized work criteria?

A.  MI-AIMH believes that endorsement applicants should have enough experience with infants/toddlers so that the persons who complete the reference rating forms can confidently answers questions about the applicant's knowledge and skills related to the promotion/practice of infant mental health.  The requirements for Infant Family Specialist (Level II) state, "Minimum two years paid, post Bachelor’s, professional work experience providing services that promote infant mental health. Work experience meets this criterion as long as the applicant has: 

1. Served a minimum of 10 families of infants/toddlers (birth to 36 months) and,

2. A primary focus of the services provided is the social-emotional needs of infant/toddler and,

3. Services include attention to the relationships surrounding the infant/toddler"

Q. What happens after I submit my professional portfolio?

A. All portfolios are carefully reviewed by two trained volunteers who have earned endorsement and/or are members of the Endorsement Committee.  After examining your official transcripts, the reference rating forms, and your lists of specialized work, in-service training, and reflective supervision/consultation experiences, each reviewer will make recommendations about whether to endorse (Level I and II) or to approve you to sit for the exam (Level III and IV) or may suggest that you pursue further training and/or reflective supervision and then be re-reviewed after a period of time.

The Endorsement Exam

Q. What is the format of the exam?

A. There are two parts to the test: Part 1 consists of multiple choice questions. Part 2 consists of three vignettes or scenarios; you are asked to answer two of the three. You will have three hours to complete the examination (i.e., 90 minutes to complete Part 1 and 90 minutes to complete Part 2). The material covered requires knowledge about pregnancy, early development and clinical practice experiences. Both parts draw on cumulative learning experiences in college or university settings and specialized in-service trainings, as well as self-study (e.g. books and journal articles about infancy, early parenthood and infant mental health). Your supervised work experiences with infants, toddlers and families, and experiences within reflective supervision or consultation groups related to your work with infants and families will also contribute to learning that is reflected in the examination questions.

Q. What primary topics are covered in the multiple-choice portion of the test?

A. The multiple choice questions are related to the knowledge and skill areas of the competencies as indicated in the MI-AIMH Competency Guidelines booklet such as:

• Attachment separation, and loss
• Pregnancy, infant and young child development and behavior
• Relationship-based therapeutic practice
• Infant mental health screening and assessment
• Disorders of infancy/early childhood
• Cultural competence
• Reflective practice

Q. How should I study for the exam?

A. Studying for the test will vary from person to person. If you are currently engaged in relationship-based practice with infants and their families, receive reflective supervision and have consistently updated your knowledge and skills through specialized in-service training or enrollment in university or college course work specific to infancy, early parenthood and infant mental health, you will most likely be very well prepared. If you have not engaged in clinical practice or attended in-service trainings or university-based coursework specific to the promotion of infant mental health, you will find the test challenging. There is a suggested resource list.

Q.  What happens if I do not pass the exam?

A.  A passing score on Part 1 (multiple choice) of the exam is 80%.  Applicants who receive a score of less than 80% will be invited to take the exam again in one year.  In order to carefully protect the exam materials, applicants will not receive specific feedback related to the questions missed on Part 1.  Applicants who do not receive a passing score on Part 2 (response to vignettes/scenarios) will be provided specific feedback based on exam reviewers' remarks.  Those applicants will be invited to take the exam again in one year.  

Annual Renewal of Endorsement

Q.  How do I keep my Endorsement current?

A.  In order to renew the MI-AIMH Endorsement® annually, the following is required:

• On-going membership in MI-AIMH or another infant mental health association
• 15 clock hours of training related to culturally-sensitive, relationship-focused practice promoting infant mental health

MI-AIMH also strongly recommends that professionals at Level II, III, & IV (Clinical) receive on-going reflective supervision/consultation (RSC).  For information about the change in policy that will require on-going RSC for endorsement renewal beginning in 2013, please see http://www.mi-aimh.org/endorsement-policies 

Endorsement renewal is due at the same time as membership renewal.  For those who earned endorsement in 2012, specialized in-service training and reflective supervision/consultation hours received in 2013 are due no later than Jan 31, 2014.  Please use the Annual Renewal Form to document these hours. 

To renew membership, please go to http://www.mi-aimh.org/membership.php.  For endorsement, memberships must be individual, not organizational.

Certificates

Q.  I can't find my endorsement certificate.  How do I go about requesting a new one?

A.  We would be happy to send you a replacement endorsement certificate, but please note that we are now charging $10 for replacements to cover time, materials, shipping & handling.  If you would rather, we can scan in your original certificate and email to you as a pdf.  Also, if an employer or anyone needs to confirm your endorsement, you can always refer to the Endorsement Registry at http://mi-aimh.org/endorsement-registry 

Using the IMH-E® mark

Q.  How do I indicate that I have earned the MI-AIMH Endorsement®?

A.  The IMH-E® mark indicates that a person has earned endorsement.  Use of the registered trademark is important (whenever possible) to distinguish from other systems of "endorsement."  The level of endorsement is indicated after the IMH-E® in parantheses and the title can be written under, such as:

Jane Doe, MSW, LMSW, IMH-E® (III)

Infant Mental Health Specialist

For those with anxiety about beginning the process for Level III or Level IV:

Application Anxiety Dialogue
 
 
Long-Time MI-AIMH Member:  “I’m scared!”
Sheryl Goldberg:  “Excuse me?  Were you talking to me?”
LTMM:  “Aren’t you on the MI-AIMH Endorsement Committee?  I just wanted you to know I’m scared to apply.”
SG:  “But you’ve been doing this work for years!  You’re just the sort of person this endorsement is for!”
LTMM:  “The length of time I’ve been working is part of the problem.  I went through formal training a long time ago, and the competencies we’re expected to have are really broad.  What if I don’t know enough, or what I know is out of date?”
SG:  “Most people find, when they start to look back at their academic transcripts and list the conferences and in-service trainings they’ve done since then, that their education is broader and more current than they realized.”
LTMM:  “Still, test-taking was never something I was good at, even when I knew everything the test was about.  How should I study for the multiple choice part?”  
SG:  “I don’t think you should study the way you did for college courses.  When you review the competency areas, if you feel really uneasy about the content of one or more of them you can do some reading on your own or even sign up for a course, but you should also remember the Winnicot principle of the good-enough parent.  We know our members draw from
many different fields, and the exam reflects that interdisciplinary reality.  Everyone has different areas of strength.  You don’t have to get a perfect score – just good enough.”  
LTMM:  “Just supposing I really fail – is that it?  Or will I get feedback on my errors, and a chance to try again?”
SG: A “provisional” response would be given to you, and you would have the chance to discuss feedback with your assigned endorsement advisor before you take the exam again.
LTMM:  “And then there’s the case study part.  I haven’t done direct service for years, now – I’m in management.  I’m scared I can’t respond well as a practitioner anymore.”
SG:  “I don’t care how many years it’s been, I’ll bet there are still home visits and families you remember like yesterday.  And even if you aren’t supervising anyone right now, you’ve done that in the past or you couldn’t apply to Level III or IV.  If you wanted to refresh yourself with recent reading, you could read “Case Studies in Infant Mental Health”, eds. J. Shirilla & D.
Weatherston. What would you tell a supervisee about having trust in herself and the infant mental health principles that have become second nature?”
LTMM:  “Okay, okay – but if I fail that part?  Then what?”SG:  Once again, a “provisional” response would be given to you, along with opportunity to discuss feedback with your assigned endorsement advisor before you take the exam again.
LTMM:  “Well, maybe I’ll try – but I don’t know where I’ll find the time to put it all together.”
SG:  “Think about how and where you might have some of this information already gathered.  Do save your old calendars?  Keep a list of professional development for CEU’s or other purposes? Does your employer keep records in your personnel file of training attended? I bet if you gave it an hour a week for a month you’d have it done. In fact, track the hours it takes
you and let me know.  That would be helpful information for others.”
LTMM:  “The assessment fee costs a tidy bit.”
SG:  “It does at Level III & IV, however, it is in-line with fees for credentialing offered by other professional organizations.  Endorsement is becoming a mark of someone who is a qualified, specialized professional in this field, that employers recognize and prefer to hire.”
LTMM:  “And if I need someone to hold my hand while I do this?”
SG:  “Holding each other is what we are good at in MI-AIMH.   When you apply you will be assigned a MI-AIMH advisor to speak with as you take the steps along the way.  Some folks have persuaded a colleague to apply along with them, and support each other through the process.”  
LTMM:  I’ll do it!  But I’m still a little anxious . . . “
SG:  “Take a deep breath or two – then run, meditate, do yoga, knit, eat comfort food...whatever calms you.  Give yourself a chance to think about one next step and do it. Then get in touch and we can talk some more.”