Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health Endorsement® Endorsement® FAQ’s Reflective Supervision / Consultation

Reflective Supervision / Consultation

What are the requirements for reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C)?

Infant Family Associate

Infant Family Associate (IFA) applicants are not required to receive RS/C, however, MI-AIMH recommends that all infant/early childhood professionals seek RS/C.

Infant Family Specialist

Infant Family Specialist (IFS) applicants must receive a minimum of 24 clock hours of RS/C in no less than one year and no more than a two-year time frame.  To meet the criteria for Endorsement®, RS/C must come from someone who is endorsed at as an IMHS or IMHM-Clinical.  The only exception is for applicants who are pursuing IFS and are Bachelor’s prepared; they can receive qualified RS/C from someone who has earned IFS Endorsement® AND is Master’s prepared

Infant Mental Health Specialist

(IMHS)

Infant Mental Health Specialist (IMHS) applicants must have received a minimum of 50 clock hours of RS/C 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 IMHS or IMHM-Clinical

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Clinical

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Clinical (IMHM-C) applicants must have received a minimum of 50 clock hours of RS/C 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 IMHM-Clinical

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Policy

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Policy (IMHM-P) applicants are not required to receive RS/C, however, MI-AIMH recommends that all infant/early childhood professionals seek RS/C.

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Research/Faculty 

Infant Mental Health Mentor – Research Faculty (IMHM-P) applicants are not required to receive RS/C, however, MI-AIMH recommends that all infant/early childhood professionals seek RS/C.

Am I only able to list supervisors who were formally trained in reflective supervision?

Reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) that meets criteria for MI-AIMH Endorsement® must come from an individual who has earned Endorsement® as an IMHS or IMHM-Clinical.  A lot of clinical supervision is reflective, but perhaps not all is from a specialist in IMH.  The only exception is for applicants who are pursuing Infant Family Specialist and are Bachelor’s prepared; they can receive qualified RS/C from someone who is an IFS AND is Master’s prepared.

How do I count case consultation?

Many individuals do not have a direct supervisor who has earned Endorsement®, however, they do receive reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) from a consultant who is endorsed.  If your team meets with an endorsed consultant, you can count the hours of time that you spend with the consultant, even if you are not the identified presenter.  For example, if you meet and participate in case consultations once a month for two hours, you will have 24 hours of RS/C that meets criteria for Endorsement®.

Should I include all sources of reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) (i.e. former supervisor, current supervisor, program consultant, etc.)?

If all of those sources meet criteria for Endorsement®, 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, RS/C 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 their hours (24 clock hour minimum for IFS and 50 clock hours for IMHS and IMHM-Clinical) to come from just one source with the balance coming from no more than one other source. The RS/C hours for applicants need to have occurred in a period of time that is more than one year and less than two years.

Some applicants may have special circumstances, e.g. if the program supervisor changed or if the applicant moved positions. Exceptions regarding the number of RS/C providers should be discussed with Endorsement Coordinator.

I have a co-worker who has earned Endorsement® as an Infant Mental Health Specialist. Can he provide the hours of reflective supervision I need for Endorsement®?

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, etc.

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

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