Early Childhood Mental Health:

Training and Workforce Development

Jon Korfmacher, Ph.D.

Erikson Institute

Herr Research Center

for Children & Social Policy
3rd Annual Midwest Policy Conference
 Early Childhood Mental Health

 Who are the providers?

 What do they do?
 How are they trained?
 How do we ensure a competent workforce?

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Who can be Early Childhood
Mental Health Specialists?

Mental Health Providers Other Providers

• Social workers • Pediatricians
• Psychologists • Occupational Therapists
• School psychologists • Developmental
• Counselors & MFT Therapists
• Psychiatrists • Daycare/ECE providers

• Nurse Practitioners • EC Special Ed providers

• (Substance Abuse Counselors) • Family Support/Home

Visitors
• Caseworkers
Q: What are turf issues in
defining providers of • (Judges/GALs/Lawyers)
“mental health” services?
How to view ECMH services?

Promotion Prevention Treatment

Q: Where is the greatest need for providers?

What should ECMH specialists do?

 Direct Service
– Assessment/Diagnosis
– Individual and family services/treatment
 Consultation
– To programs, staff, possibly families
 Training and professional development
– Reflective supervision
 Additional roles
– Research, Advocacy, Administration
ECMH Specialist Training Programs

 Very few opportunities exist in higher

education institutions in IL, MI, or WI

 Most graduate level mental health training

programs do not offer coursework or
practicum experience devoted to 0-5 age
range
Existing Higher Ed Programs

 Illinois
– Harris Infant Mental Health Certificate Programs
(Erikson Institute)
– Social Work/Special Ed collaboration in Early
Childhood (UIUC)
– Individual coursework scattered across other
programs (e.g., Univ Chicago SSA, NIU)
– Some internship/fellowship training opportunities
(e.g., DePaul, UIC-Institute Juvenile Research)
Existing Higher Ed Programs

 Michigan
– Interdepartmental Graduate Specialization in
Infancy and Early Childhood(MSU)
– Graduate Certificate Program in Infant Mental
Health (Wayne State University)
– Individual courses across other schools (e.g.,
Preschool psychological assessment at Univ
Detroit Mercy; SSW doctoral course in early
mental health at UM Ann Arbor)
Existing Higher Ed Programs

 Wisconsin
– Training program for psychiatry residents,
postdoctoral fellows, and school psychology
students (Child Psychiatry, UW-Madison)
– New: Infant/Early Childhood/Family Mental Health
Training Institute and Certificate program for
licensed professionals (UW-Madison)
– Scattered Ed Psych/School Psych courses on
infant, toddler, preschool assessment
Implications

 ECMH workforce made up of many who have

not had ECMH in formal training, especially
within terminal educational degree
 Training likely cobbled together from
professional development opportunities
and/or on-the-job learning
 Hard to know how qualified the workforce is
to deal with this population
 ECMH Competencies

 Areas of knowledge and practice for work

with young children and their families in a
mental health capacity.
 Comparison of six different systems suggest
fair amount of overlap, but not consensus, in
areas of focus
 Of the three states, only MI has an
established set of competencies
Korfmacher, J., & Hilado, A. (2008). Creating a Workforce in Early Childhood
11 Mental Health: Defining the Competent Specialist
Michigan Endorsement Program

 Origin: Developed by MI-AIMH (finalized in

2002)
 Age Focus: Birth – 3 years
 Competency Levels: 4-Levels: “Infant/Family
Associate,” “Infant/Family Specialist,” “IMH
Specialist,” and “IMH Mentor.” Levels based
on education and related experience.
 Program Format: Competencies exist in
context of endorsement system. Licensed to
associations in other states, including those
in AZ, KS, MN, NM, OK, & TX, with
reciprocity possible.
 Surprises from the comparison

 More attention paid to developmental topics

than mental health topics
 Little note of outcomes-based or evidence-
based practice
 Issues relevant to older ages (preschool)
receive less attention than earlier ages
– Ex) Behavioral or Parent Training approaches,
Disruptive Behavior, Peer Relationship

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Competencies:
Implications & Issues

 Issue #1: How do states decide on

competencies?
 Issue #2: How do we decide which
competencies work?
 Issue #3: What is the value of these
competency systems?
What is the value of an
competency/endorsement system?

 Align competencies to training and

educational programs (or vice-versa)?
 What is the value of being endorsed?
– Financial compensation (salary/reimbursement)
– State certification
– Employment standards/opportunities
– Professional Recognition
 How do competencies align with EC or MH
standards and certifications?
Concluding thoughts

 Pay attention to entire range of birth to five

 Involve higher education institutions in
workforce initiatives
 Encourage opportunities for training of
evidence-based practices
 Distance learning opportunities for rural and
geographically isolated providers