Infant Mental Health Credential

Ohio is now offering an Infant Mental Health Credential to professionals working in Early Intervention. Professionals who hold the credential will possess a set of skills and core competencies that are developmentally appropriate and anchored in relationship-based practices that support the social-emotional needs of infants. As part of creating this credential, DODD and its state agency partners have identified many trainings in the social-emotional area geared to early childhood professionals. These trainings, in combination with trainings you may already have completed, can be used to help you obtain the credential. This credential is of particular value to EI service coordinators and developmental specialists.

For more information about the Infant Mental Health credential, please access the OCCRRA Resources page.

Early Intervention Service Coordinator

For EI service coordinators, the Infant Mental Health Credential will build skills in early identification and screening of social and emotional delays, understanding the connection of trauma and its impact on the family unit, and early detection and referral to mental health services for families parenting infants. Service coordinators will also be better able to identify health and safety concerns, know when child abuse and neglect should be reported to Public Children’s Service Agency (PCSA), and locate community resources the families can use in helping to deal with mental health concerns and/or infants with social and emotional developmental delays.

Developmental Specialist

For developmental specialists, the Infant Mental Health Credential will build skills in identifying, assessing, and using evidence-based interventions to support families with children with social and emotional delays and/or are experiencing mental health concerns. Developmental specialists will be better able to determine Part C eligibility due to a social and emotional delay, conduct a functional assessment to determine infant and family needs, and identify evidence-based strategies (especially strategies related to sensory process/behavioral/development/relational).