What is Infant Mental Health
Infant Mental Health is an infant's ability to develop physically, cognitively, and socially in a manner which allows them to master the primary emotional tasks of early childhood without serious disruption caused by harmful life events. The primary emotional tasks of children from birth to age three are to experience, express and regulate emotion in healthy ways, to form close and secure relationships, and ultimately to be able to explore their environment and learn. (www.zerotothree.org).
Infant Mental Health practice refers to the variety of services that promote the healthy social and emotional development of children conception through 3 years. This practice encompasses health promotion and preventative measures, intervention services addressing identified problems, consultation to others who care for infants and their caregivers, education of professionals, advocacy at any level of any system that has an impact on the environments within which infants develop. Infant mental health professionals may be psychiatrists, pediatricians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, speech language pathologists, educators, occupational therapists or physical therapists.
Vision
The aim of AAIECMH is to promote the mental health, development, and wellbeing of infants and children in Alberta through collaboration, learning, and sharing knowledge with the professionals who work with infants, children, and families.
Purpose
The Alberta Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health is comprised of a group of professionals who work with infants, children, and their families who are committed to infant and child mental health and development across the province.
Our purpose is to:
1) Promote, learn, and discuss evidence-based practices and frameworks in order for these to be applied to our work with infants and children.
2) Provide opportunities for professionals and programs to connect to one another in order to share practice wisdom, concerns, and best practices, leading to a collective voice for infant and child mental health in Alberta.
AAIECMH is an affiliate of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH). We are grateful for WAIMH’s leadership in promoting the mental wellbeing and healthy development of infants and children throughout the world.
“Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response.” ~ L.R. Knost
Our Story
A small group of committed clinicians, administrators and researchers have supported the development of the Alberta Association for Infant Mental Health since 2003. We began with meetings in Red Deer initially funded by Collaborative Mental Health Services in Calgary and then by the Alberta Mental Health Board. At that time, we were the Alberta Chapter of the Western Canadian Association for Infant Mental Health. WCAIMH is an affiliate of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. WCAIMH held regular meetings in Vancouver but it quickly became clear that geography and differing health and human services systems created challenges for members to collaborate. We created our own Alberta affiliate of WAIMH in 2011, and were supported by CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health in Edmonton. We convened annual educational workshops in Sylvan Lake and Calgary for members across the province. Since 2016, AAIMH has been supported by ElmTree Clinic in Edmonton and the Faculty of Nursing and Department of Psychiatry in Calgary. Annual workshops are now available by telehealth in Alberta. AAIMH also runs a small monthly group journal club session accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. We discuss recent articles about infant mental health and early childhood development. We welcome practitioners, researchers, and students from all disciplines who want to join us to make a difference for the youngest members of our communities!
Board of Directors:
President - Melanie Gylls
President Elect - Angela Hill
Secretary - Auni Amini
Treasurer - Carole Anne Hapchyn
Membership Coordinator - Chelsea Ohlmann
Members at Large - Elyse Lambie, Twyla Bruce, Stephanie Pearson
Journal Club Chair - Angela Hill and April Prescott