Infant Mental Health 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. This has been noted in the information provided.

Please note:

- Apart from seminars and workshops organised by AAIMH WA, AAIMH WA is not involved with the training listed below. Links to websites have been provided so you can contact the providers directly for further information.

- We review and update this page regularly. If you have information about upcoming perinatal and infant mental health courses and training (in Australia and online), please contact us at
endorsementwa@aaimh.org.au

Infant Mental Health

Online training

The Newborn Behavioural Observations (NBO) System
Live ONLINE Workshop 9-11 August open for registrations
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. The online workshop will be run by a team of two or three faculty members with an emphasis on interactive exchange and hands-on practice. It will include new enhanced videos and case studies, small group discussions and role-playing using Zoom. Presented by NBO Australia at the Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
To register go to: https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-professionals/clinical-education-training/nbo-australia/nbo-training/#online-workshop

Circle of Security
The Circle of Security is a relationship-based early intervention program designed to enhance attachment security between parents and children. Circle of Security Parenting facilitator and other courses are now available (live or self-paced) online. See https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/trainings/training-types/

Centre for Perinatal Psychology
Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Intensive Training – Online Version

The training explores ways to hold the baby in mind when working therapeutically with parents during the perinatal period. It is designed for health professionals either currently working with, or who have a desire to work with, families during the perinatal period from a relational, developmental and attachment perspective. 
https://www.centreforperinatalpsychology.com.au/training/3-day-intensive/

COPMI (Children of Parents with Mental Illness initiative)
Keeping Families and Children in Mind
This free introductory 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.
http://www.copmi.net.au/professionals-organisations/how-can-i-help/professional-development/elearning-courses/keeping-families-and-children-in-mind

COPMI (Children of Parents with Mental Illness initiative)

Supporting Infants and Toddlers of Parents with a Mental Illness
The free introductory course helps 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, attachment and principles of sensitive communication with parents regarding the needs of their children, and parenting interventions and strategies to effectively support these families.
http://www.copmi.net.au/professionals-organisations/how-can-i-help/professional-development/elearning-courses/supporting-infants-and-toddlers

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.
https://socialwork.wayne.edu/ce/infantmentalhealth

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

Emerging Minds
Emerging Minds is dedicated to advancing the mental health and emotional wellbeing of Australian infants, children, adolescents and their families. The organisation leads the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health, delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), the Australian National University (ANU), the Parenting Research Centre (PRC) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
The National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health assists 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. The Centre incorporates:
- an online workforce gateway where you can access free training, practice guides, webinars, tools, information and news.
- a national network of regionally-based Child Mental Health Workforce Consultants to support workforce development, systems change, information exchange and collaboration, and
- a communication and knowledge translation strategy to support the diffusion of evidence into practice.
https://emergingminds.com.au/
See also:
- Emerging Minds' list of webinars https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/format/webinar/
- Emerging Minds podcast on mentalising and mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) with Perth-based psychologist Dr Matthew Ruggiero
https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/podcast/mentalising-based-therapy/

Be You
Be You builds on the success and learnings from five existing programs aimed at promoting social and emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people in the education space: KidsMatter Early Childhood, KidsMatter Primary, MindMatters, Response Ability and headspace School Support. Be You integrates these programs, building on their evidence base and ten years of experience.
https://beyou.edu.au/

Western Australian based training


AAIMH WA Seminars
The AAIMH WA Seminar Series is aligned to specific competencies from the AAIMH Competency Guidelines®. The seminars have a multidisciplinary focus and are held on a bimonthly basis. They follow a developmental pathway to build skills progressively across the core areas of knowledge, skills and practice in Infant Mental Health.
http://www.aaimhi.org/branches/wa/wa-seminars-and-training/

Circle of Security
The Circle of Security is a relationship-based early intervention program designed to enhance attachment security between parents and children. A Circle of Security Parenting facilitator course is planned in Perth from 19 to 22 October 2020. It is sold and you can register on the wait list: https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/trainings/register-for-a-training/

Lifespan Psychology Centre
Accredited clinicians and trainers at the Lifespan Centre offer supervision and training for professionals and organisations, including Perinatal and Infant Mental Health workshops, mentalisation-based supervision,  DC: 0-5TM Training,  MBT Skills Training.
https://www.lifespancentre.com.au/servicesforprofessionals

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.
https://www.elizabethclinic.com.au/

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/

Solihull Approach Australia
The Solihull Approach aims to increase emotional health and well-being for parents/teachers/front-line workers/managers/early childhood/ mental health and health care professionals.
See information about the approach and details of the training on the Solihull website:
https://www.solihullapproach.com.au/professional

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/

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

QEC Early Parenting Services

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

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


PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH

Western Australian based training


King Edward Memorial Hospital
The Statewide Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Program (SPIMHP) provides free perinatal and infant mental health training and short presentations (which can be customised) for health professionals and community groups.
https://www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/Our-services/Statewide-Services/Statewide-Perinatal-and-Infant-Mental-Health-Program/Education-and-Training

Other Australian based training


PANDA
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australian) offers full-day professional development workshops for professionals working with expecting and new parents and their families.
https://www.panda.org.au/health-professionals/panda-workshops


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/


Online training


Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) Perinatal Mental Health
This is a 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.
https://acmhn.org/online-learning-courses/


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/griffith-health/school-nursing-midwifery/learning-and-teaching/professional-development#perinatal