Early childhood mental health certificate program online

The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate at Iowa State University will provide family service, education, and mental health professionals a greater understanding of the factors associated with social and emotional development in young children along with prevention and intervention services that support children and families.

Area(s) of Study

Development (child, adolescent, human, gerontology, or family)

Accreditations

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Director of Graduate Studies

IFMH Graduate Certificate

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The fully online Infant-Family Mental Health (IFMH) graduate certificate program is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, criminology, human development, early childhood education, nursing and other social science-related fields. It will benefit practitioners in allied health professions and social and behavioral sciences seeking to gain greater knowledge for working with infants and their families. Program emphasis provides coverage of theoretical/conceptual and applied issues in building knowledge and skills for understanding infant and toddler social and emotional development, also referred to as "infant mental health."

Learn More About the IFMH Graduate Certificate

IFMH Graduate Certificate Brochure

The Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Graduate Certificate Program is open to professionals with at least a bachelor’s degree who work or desire to work with young children and their families. This could include social workers, early childhood educators, early interventionists, early childhood special educators, early childhood program administrators, policy advocates, psychologists, pediatricians, nurses, public health educators, child protective services personnel, speech-language pathologists, and others.

The School of Social Work and Department of Special Education and Child Development collaborate on this joint certificate program in Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) focusing on children birth to five years of age and their families. Graduates of the Certificate program will be able to:

Promote awareness about the importance of early childhood mental health
Work with diverse families with young children
Identify evidence‐informed services for young children and their families
Recognize ecologically valid mental health assessments of young children
Explain relationship of social, cognitive, and communication development in young children
Support positive, relationship‐focused communication between young children and their adult caretakers
Facilitate positive social‐communication skills among young children, parents, and other caretakers in a variety of settings

The ECMH Graduate Certificate requires 12 graduate credit hours and is offered fully online. Courses can be taken in any order. Students typically complete this certificate in 2-4 semesters. Not all courses are offered every semester.

To view course requirements and the plan of study, please visit Social Work ECMH Plan of Study website.

For detailed admission requirements and information on how to apply, please visit the School of Social Work ECMH Admissions Information website.

Have questions? Contact the School of Social Work at . You may also contact Dr. JaneDiane Smith (Child and Family Development, Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Mental Health Graduate, Concentration Coordinator) at 704-687-8850 or .

ECMH - School of Social Work Website

ECMH - School of Professional Studies Website

Time Limits

If a certificate student is later accepted into either the MSW or MEd program at UNC Charlotte, all courses for the degree must be completed within six years of initial enrollment. All courses for the Graduate Certificate in ECMH only must be completed within four years from initial enrollment in the certificate program.

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Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Development: Birth through Kindergarten

The ECMH Graduate Certificate Program is open to professionals with at least a bachelor’s degree who work or desire to work with young children and their families. This could include social workers, early childhood educators, early interventionists, early childhood special educators, early childhood program administrators, policy advocates, psychologists, pediatricians, nurses, public health educators, child protective services personnel, speech-language pathologists, and others. The ECMH Graduate Certificate is offered fully online as a two semester, twelve (12) credit program.

Promote awareness about the importance of early childhood mental health
Work with diverse families with young children
Identify evidence‐informed services for young children and their families
Recognize ecologically valid mental health assessments of young children
Explain relationship of social, cognitive, and communication development in young children
Support positive, relationship‐focused communication between young children and their adult caretakers
Facilitate positive social‐communication skills among young children, parents, and other caretakers in a variety of settings

ECMH Program Handbook

ECMH - Special Education and Child Development Website

For more information and tuition estimates, please view the School of Professional Studies Website.

ECMH - School of Professional Studies Website