Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Based Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health

NMAIMH is committed to supporting a competent infant and family workforce.  To achieve this goal, we offer a nationally-recognized, competency-based professional endorsement system.

Many of your New Mexico colleagues from around the state are already endorsed! They are listed in the Endorsement Registry.

Why seek endorsement through NMAIMH?

• The intent of the endorsement system is to recognize the professional development of infant and family service providers within the diverse and rapidly expanding infant and family field.
• Endorsement by the New Mexico Association for Infant Mental Health verifies that an applicant has attained a specified level of functioning and understanding based on a set of competencies that have been identified and agreed upon by hundreds of professionals, service providers, faculty members and policy makers in the infant and family field.
• The NMAIMH Endorsement offers individuals in the infant and family field a professional development plan that focuses on:
• Knowledge;
• Effective practice skills; and
• Supervised work experiences that lead to increased confidence and credibility within the infant and family field.
• NMAIMH Endorsement will inform prospective employers, agencies and peers about culturally sensitive, relationship-based practice promoting infant mental health.
• Those who earn the NMAIMH Endorsement are recognized for their education, training, and leadership roles and work experiences within a rapidly growing field.

In the following pages you can:

• Learn More About Endorsement by viewing a PowerPoint presentation, reading Frequently Asked Questions, and reading through an Overview of the endorsement process; and
• Understand How Endorsement Can Make a Difference in promoting and supporting healthy development and nurturing relationships for all infants and young children in New Mexico by viewing the Impact Maps for each level of endorsement; and
• Get Started with Your Endorsement Application by reviewing the requirements for the various levels, seeing what is involved in Preparing Your Endorsement Portfolio, and completing a Preliminary Application form; and
• View and Download all the Materials Needed to Understand, Apply for, and Engage in the Endorsement Process including:
  • Becoming familiar with the endorsement proces;
  • Viewing the Impact Maps;
  • Begin the Preliminary Application process;
  • Work on your Endorsement Portfolio;
  • Prepare for the written examination (IMH Specialists & IMH Mentors only)

The Spring exam for those who are pursuing endorsement as Infant Mental Health Specialists (Level 3) and Infant Mental Health Mentors (Level 4) will be on April 28, 2012 in Albuquerque. Portfolios must be received at the NMAIMH mailing address by 5:00 PM on March 2, 2012 for those NMAIIMH members who would like to be considered for the Spring 2012 exam. Those hoping to have portfolios accepted in order to be invited to sit for this exam should be actively working with their Endorsement Advisors now.

Written examination is not required for Infant Family Associate (Level 1) & Infant Family Specialist (Level 2) candidates.