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