IMH Training Information

Community Resources for Professionals:
Training and Professional Development in Infant Mental Health and Perinatal Mental Health

A wide range of training opportunities exist for those who would like to develop their competence in working with infants, young children and their families. Some of the courses listed are free and this has been noted in the information provided. Please be aware that apart from some seminars and workshops, AAIMHI WA is not directly involved with the training opportunities listed below and links to websites have been provided so you can contact the providers directly for further information.

If you are aware of other suitable courses that you would like listed please contact us at website@aaimhi.org

CAMHS Infant Mental Health Training
A series of Infant Mental Health Workshops have been developed through funding from the Mental Health Commission covering a variety of topics.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/camhs/15544c12fcd71871?projector=1

RUAH
Perspectives on children, families and mental health: Inside a family under pressure - the impact of mental illness on the family
This module is designed to raise awareness of the needs of families with parental mental illness, and to encourage workers to return for further exploration of ways to address some of these needs.
http://www.ruah.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Perspectives-Training-Flyer.pdf

Circle of Security
The Circle of Security is a relationship based early intervention program designed to enhance attachment security between parents and children. There are a variety of training courses available throughout Australia.
http://circleofsecurity.net/seminars/

Elizabeth Clinic
The Elizabeth Clinic is associated with Attachment Training Australia, which has been responsible for providing Circle of Security Training in Perth since 2006.
http://www.elizabethclinic.com.au/training-2/

Parents Under Pressure
In order to use the PuP program, a clinician is required to have training and clinical supervision in the PuP model. The program combines psychological principles relating to parenting, child behaviour and parental emotion regulation within a case management model. The program is home-based and designed for families in which there are many difficult life circumstances that impact on family functioning. Such problems may include depression and anxiety, substance misuse, family conflict and severe financial stress.
http://www.pupprogram.net.au/training--supervision.aspx

Anglicare
Attachment and Social-Emotional Development
In this one day workshop you will learn how the natural attachment process shapes social and emotional development and how the relationship between a child and attuned caregiver evolves. We take a closer look at the building blocks of a safe attachment relationship, so we can apply these principles in our work with children and their parents. Principles can be applied to working with children of all ages, including teenagers, but the focus will be on children 2-12 years old. https://www.anglicarewa.org.au/training-courses/our-calendar/default.aspx
 

Other Australian based training

Tresillian
Tresillian hosts and supports a number of courses, including the NCAST Parent Child Interaction (PCI) Assessment Course, the Key to Caregiving course and infant mental health workshops. These courses are suitable for a wide range of professionals including child health nurses, psychologists, social workers and early childhood workers.
https://www.tresillian.org.au/health-professionals/courses-workshops/

Newborn Behavioural Observational (NBO) system
The NBO training program provides participants with the theoretical foundations and clinical principles necessary to enable them to use the Newborn Behavioural Observational (NBO) system in their clinical practice.  Use of the NBO in clinical practice will provide parents with important information about their baby’s remarkable capacities and individuality. It will help parents develop a positive relationship with their newborn child.
https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-professionals/clinical-education-training/nbo-australia/

Wait, Watch and Wonder DownUnder
Wait, Watch and Wonder is a child led psychotherapeutic approach that specifically and directly uses the infant’s spontaneous activity in a free play format to enhance maternal sensitivity and responsiveness, the child’s sense of self and self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and the child-parent attachment relationship. The approach provides space for the infant/child and parent to work through developmental and relational struggles through play.
http://www.watchwaitwonderdownunder.com/

Understanding Babies – NCAST
Understanding Babies hosts and supports a number of courses, including the NCAST Key to Caregiving course. NCAST programs are regularly used in a variety of settings including family homes, clinics, child-care centres and hospitals.
http://understandingbabies.com.au/example-diary-date.php

QEC
QEC provides accredited educational training programs to professionals working within Maternal and Child Health, Early Years, Early Education and Intervention, Primary Health and Family and Children’s Services.  The team instructs in specialised training programs such as: Keys to Care Giving, Family Partnership Training, Nursing Child Assessment (NCAST) Teaching Scales, Nursing Child Assessment (NCAST) Feeding Scales, Good Documentation, and Play Steps Training.
http://www.qec.org.au/professionals/training-programs

Online training

Emerging Minds
Supporting Infants and Toddlers of Parents with a mental illness: 
The  free introductory e-learning course helps mental health workers to identify and intervene when their clients are parents who experience mental illness and have dependent children.  Learn about the impact of mental illness on the family through the antenatal period, explains attachment and principles of sensitive communication with parents regarding the needs of their children, and parenting interventions and strategies to effectively support these families.
https://emergingminds.com.au/online-course/supporting-infants-toddlers/

Emerging Minds
Keeping Families and Children in Mind
This  free introductory e-learning course supports learners to develop a family-sensitive approach when working with families where a parent has a mental illness. It features six interactive learning modules that encourage learners to reflect and evaluate their current practice and to develop strategies to support children, parents, carers and families living in these environments.
https://emergingminds.com.au/online-course/keeping-families-children-mind/

University of Warwick
Babies in Mind: Why the Parent’s Mind Matters
This free online course is aimed at everyone who has an interest in promoting the well being of their own baby, or the parents and babies they work with. You do not need any prior knowledge of infant or child development, just a desire to learn about parents and babies, and the way that early interaction shapes later development. The course is based on the latest research in the field and you will be introduced to key concepts relating to infant psychology and attachment.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/babies-in-mind/2

University of Warwick
Infant Mental Health Online Training
IMHOL has been created for professionals/practitioners. The course is the baseline requirement of a planned ladder of progression in expertise in infant mental health. There are 3 core themes that underpin the course: Neurophysiology and Biochemical Structure of the Brain, Social and Emotional Development, Ghosts and Angels in the Nursery. One of the aims of IMHOL is to promote your understanding of the concept and development of emotional regulation in the early years and the relationship between emotional regulation and dysregulation to psychopathology and what this means for your practice.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/study/cpd/cpd/imhol

Wayne State University
It’s all about Relationships! Early Parenting and Child Development from an Infant Mental Health Perspective
Approved by Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health as an online training opportunity for Endorsement®. This course will review the processes that support social-emotional development in the young child. It will also review some of the central ways in which parents form and nurture their relationships with their young children.
http://socialwork.wayne.edu/continuing-education/infant_mental_health_online.php

University of Minnesota
Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) 
CEED offers a variety of online courses for continuing education and academic credit covering a variety of infant and early childhood related topics, including an introductory course on Infant Mental Health.
https://www.cehd.umn.edu/CEED/onlinecourses/default.html

The Australian Government’s National Support for Child and Youth Mental Health Program was announced in 2017 with the vision to support infants, children and young people to achieve their possible mental health. It has 2 components (1) Mental Health in Education Program, and (2) National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. The agencies currently providing these preograms are Beyond Blue (Be You) and Emerging Minds.

Be You
The Mental Health in Education Program is focused on the education and training of early learning, primary, secondary and pre-service educators. Beyond Blue has been appointed to lead Be You until 2021. This program is a combination of pre-existing programs including Kids Matter.
https://beyou.edu.au/

Emerging Minds
The National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health has been established to assist professionals and organisations who work with children and/or parents/families to have the skills to identify, assess and support children at risk of mental health conditions.
A range of training has been identified for professionals and organisations. 
https://emergingminds.com.au/

PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH

Western Australian based training

King Edward Memorial Hospital
Women's Health Clinical Support Programs (WHCSP) provides free perinatal and infant mental health training and short presentations for health professionals and community groups. Training includes Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Aboriginal Mental Health, and Perinatal Anxiety Disorders.
http://kemh.health.wa.gov.au/health_professionals/WHCSP/pimh_training.php

Other Australian based training

Parent Infant Research Institute (PIRI)
PIRI has been very actively involved in providing training to Maternal & Child Health Nurses, Midwives, General Practitioners, Psychologists and other health professionals. PIRI regularly runs trainings with a perinatal focus.
http://www.piri.org.au/health-professional-information/training/

Centre for Perinatal Psychology
Various trainings held throughout Australia by members of Centre for Perinatal Psychology including topics such as Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Using a Relationship-Based Approach to Working with Parents and Infants and Perinatal Anxiety: Holding the Infant in Mind When Mum is Anxious.
http://www.centreforperinatalpsychology.com.au/training/

Online training

Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN)Perinatal Mental Health
This is a 3-module continuing professional development program, which is open to ACMHN members free and non-member nurses and midwives at a cost. It has been designed to provide an overview of the main mental health issues surrounding the perinatal period and to introduce the concept of non-directive counselling as it pertains to this important stage of a woman's life.
http://www.acmhn.org/perinatal-elearning

Victorian Transcultural Mental Health
Cultural responsiveness in perinatal mental health:
Working effectively with women and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds A free basic introduction to cross-cultural considerations for engaging effectively with women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds experiencing mental health issues during the perinatal period.
http://vtpu.realitylearning.org/node/1532

Beyond Blue
Detecting and managing perinatal mental health disorders in primary care
The free program consists of six learning modules related to perinatal mental health. This online training program was developed with the Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI), in consultation with the beyondblue National Perinatal Depression Initiative (NPDI) Workforce Training and Development Committee, as well as consumer and carer representatives, and other health professional experts. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/health-professionals/perinatal-mental-health/perinatal-mental-health-training

University of Sydney
Perinatal Mental Health Course Online: An Introduction
This online course will teach you important principles in perinatal mental health, covering a wide range of clinical and psychosocial issues from preconception, to pregnancy, and through to the postpartum stage.
https://cce.sydney.edu.au/course/PMHC

Griffiths University
Perinatal Mental Health
This course is designed for health professionals wanting to use more effective prevention and early intervention approaches to perinatal mental health in partnership with women to achieve optimum mental health and wellbeing in pregnancy and the first postnatal year. https://www.griffith.edu.au/health/midwifery/short-courses/perinatal-mental-health