Preparing for the VAIMH Endorsement® Exam
Applicants pursuing the following credentials must pass an exam prior to earning Endorsement:
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Mental Health Specialist (I/ECMHS)
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Mental Health Mentor-Clinical (I/ECMHM-C)
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Mental Health Mentor-Policy (I/ECMHM-P)
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Mental Health Mentor-Research/Faculty (I/ECMHM-R/F)
Part 1: 90-Minute Multiple Choice
Consists of 60 multiple choice questions focused on I/ECMH knowledge specific to work with infants, toddlers, young children, and their families. Questions relate to direct service, reflective supervision/consultation, policy, and research.
Your study of the following topics, learned in a university program, through intensive infant/early childhood mental health in-service trainings and workshops and self-study is the third component. Opportunities to reflect on what is learned with colleagues and senior clinicians helps to better ensure integration of theory into practice.
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Pregnancy, childbirth, and the newborn period
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Attachment theory and early relationship development
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Caregiving practices and behaviors
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Family, parenting, and childcare issues
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Infant, toddler, and young child development in all domains (e.g., social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical)
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Temperament and individual differences in infancy and early childhood
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Indicators of risk, identified disturbance or disorder, as well as capacity, in infancy, early childhood, and early parenthood
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Infant/Early Childhood mental health practice
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Best practice of infant/early childhood mental health assessment, diagnoses, and treatment approaches
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Cultural humility
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Familiarity with standardized screening and assessment tools
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Familiarity with service delivery systems that cater to infants, toddlers, and their families
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Reflective supervisory practice (Mental Health Mentor-Clinical)
Part 2: 90-Minute Vignette(s)
Part 2 is intended to measure the Applicant’s capacity to apply their knowledge of IECMH principles into practice and demonstrate a reflective, relationship-based approach through written responses to vignettes. The vignettes/scenarios are different for exam respondents depending on their category of Endorsement. See the categories below for more information.
MHS
Mental Health Specialist: You will respond to 2 of 3 vignettes from the perspective of:
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your work experiences with infants, toddlers/young children and their families, where you are working from a relationship-based perspective practicing infant/early childhood mental health, and
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your experience with reflective supervision (individual or group).
MHM-C
Mental Health Mentor-Clinical: You will respond to 2 of 3 vignettes from the perspective of:
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an Infant/Early Childhood mental health specialist/practitioner, and
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an I/ECMH Reflective Supervisor/Consultant
Consider:
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your work experiences with infants, toddlers/young children and their families, where you are working from a relationship-based perspective practicing infant/early childhood mental health.
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your experience with reflective supervision (individual or group).
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your experience as a supervisor/consultant who has provided, or is providing, reflective supervision to practitioners working with infants, toddlers, young children, and parents/caregivers.
MHM-P
Mental Health Mentor-Policy: You will respond to 1 of 2 vignettes from the perspective of:
Your extensive leadership experience with the infant/young child-family field ensuring the promotion and practice of infant/early childhood mental health.
Consider:
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Funding
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Systems development
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All that is required to promote change across systems
MHM-R/F
Mental Health Mentor-Research/Faculty: You will respond to 1 of 2 vignettes from the perspective of:
Your extensive research and teaching experience in the infant/young child-family field related to the study of pregnancy, infancy, early childhood, and early parenthood; attachment security and relationship needs; risk and resiliency in the early years; caregiving practices; early assessment and intervention strategies, and the mental health needs of infants, toddlers/young children, to name a few.
Consider:
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Your experience as it relates to the role of teaching, or
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Your experience as it relates to conducting research.