2 Clinical CE Credits
Infant Mental Health
Fostering a child’s emotional health starts at birth. At a time when a child’s brain is developing the most – between the ages of 0 to 3 – the ability for babies to form healthy relationships, interact socially, and regulate their emotions is critical to their overall health. The infant brain is attuned to facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and non-verbal interactions. The nature of these experiences and their interpersonal relationships form connections in their brains that lay the foundation for their emotional well-being.
Trauma, due to factors such as neglect, poverty, instability, or violence, can disrupt those earliest relationships critical to a child’s well-bring. Highly stressful early relationships may induce prolonged activation of stress response systems, impacting the blueprint for how they approach life and their relationships. Intervening early is especially important for babies and their families affected by stress and trauma. Children who experience traumatic events at an early age, known as adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, are exposed to stressors that can have more long-term consequences, including physical and mental health issues in adulthood.
While infant mental health is a critical service for babies and their families, there is currently a lack of qualified professionals in New Jersey. It is important for social workers to inform themselves about the field of infant mental health and become trained in best practices to support babies and their families and prevent the need for more intensive mental health services as children get older. This webinar will cover what is infant mental health, as well as the opportunities for social workers to become trained and qualified professionals. Additionally, the webinar will cover how stress and ACEs affect children birth to age five and how to provide infant mental health services through a trauma informed lens. Lastly, social workers will learn about the different types of therapy and services for babies and their families including the basics of dyadic therapy. Finally, the webinar will end with an overview of the New Jersey Think Babies Campaign and a call to action on how social workers can get involved in political advocacy to increase mental health services for babies.
Learning Objectives
Social workers who attend the Infant Mental Health webinar will:
1.Increase their knowledge of infant mental health and how they can become trained and qualified professionals.
2.Understand how trauma and ACEs affect children birth to age five and how to provide services to this age group through a trauma informed lens.
3.Learn about different types of therapy and services for babies and their families including the basics of dyadic therapy.
4.Identify ways they can get involved in advocacy efforts to increase the supply of infant mental health services in New Jersey.
ONCE YOU HAVE REGISTERED FOR THIS COURSE, PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR A CONFIRMATION THAT WILL CONTAIN INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SIGN-UP FOR GOTOWEBINAR ACCESS FOR THIS COURSE.
All participants are required to take a post-test. CE certificates will be e-mailed within 7 days of successful completion of the webinar and post-test.
Cost for this course:
Regular Price: $57
NASW Member Discounted Price: $37 (Members save over 35%!)
For those licensed in NY: NASW New Jersey Chapter SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0138.
* If you require special accommodations to permit your attendance, please submit a written request along with a completed registration form and payment at least 30 days prior to the registration deadline. Requests received after the deadline may not be able to be processed or fulfilled in time for the event.
REFUNDS: If you would like to request a refund, please review our refund policy and submit your request here.
