About WVITMH - TEAM for West Virginia Children

About the West Virginia Infant/Toddler Mental Health Association

Core Values

Integrity and honesty
Respectfully meeting families and professionals where they are
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Teamwork and collaboration
Professionalism
Empathy
Seeing the child within the context of the family

Purpose

To promote and support nurturing relationships for all infants and toddlers to provide the essential formative context in which every infant and toddler acquires the basic emotional, cognitive, and social capacities and attitudes that influence all later development;
To provide an interdisciplinary infant and toddler mental health organization that facilitates, supports, and encourages cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among those concerned with promoting the optimal development of infants and toddlers and their families;
To promote the recognition and better understanding of mental health issues for infants and toddlers through the development and implementation of a voluntary endorsement program based on education, training, work experience, and knowledge appropriate to the delivery of high quality, culturally competent, and relationship-focused services to infants and toddlers and their caregivers;
To sponsor and promote activities that will enhance the professional capacities of individuals providing relationship-based services to infants and toddlers and their caregivers;
To provide a forum for interaction and study among mental health, public health, education, and social services professionals and others regarding scientific, educational, and clinical relationship-based work with infants and toddlers and their caregivers;
To publish educational newsletters, journals, and other materials that promote an increased understanding of infant and toddler mental health issues or that are otherwise consistent with the purposes of the Association;
To support infant and toddler mental health initiatives by joining other infant mental health associations

Advisory Board Members
Carol Mollohan, APRN, BC, Retired	Dr. Erin Roxby, IMH-E®, Calming Solutions, LLC
Jackie Newson, Director, West Virginia Infant, Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Health	Laurie McKeown, Executive Director, TEAM for West Virginia Children
Samantha McCoy, Partners in Community Outreach	Michelle Comer, LICSW, PMH-C, IMH-E®, Clinical Social Worker
Michelle Rollyson, IMH-E®, Coordinator, WV Infant/Toddler Mental Health Association	Regina (Mel) Woodcock, IMH-E®, Director, West Virginia Birth to Three
Sheila Zickefoose, IMH-E®, Statewide ICC Coordinator, WVECTCR	Teresa Hoit, Early Care and Education Statewide Specialist, WVECTCR
Tiffany Kiess, IMH-E®, Infant Toddler Specialist Network Coordinator, West Virginia Department of Human Services

History of the West Virginia Infant/Toddler Mental Health Association

2000

In 2000, the Early Childhood Mental Health Workgroup (made up of local providers of services to families with young children and representatives from the state agencies that support those programs) met and developed a Recommended Action work plan. This work plan provided models from various other states that West Virginia could replicate. These recommendations went to the WV Early Intervention Interagency Coordinating Council.

2010-2015

In 2012, the Early Childhood Advisory Council of West Virginia (ECAC) formed an Ad Hoc Committee of stakeholders to review core competencies and processes from other states to assist in establishing a plan for West Virginia. One of the recommendations to come out of this Ad Hoc committee was the need for a set of core competencies. After intensive discussion and careful thought, the recommendation was made to purchase the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health.

In 2013, West Virginia purchased the Competency Guidelines and Endorsement® system from Michigan with the intent of integrating this system into current service delivery models. During the next several years, the Association formed an Association, developed by-laws, and developed a purpose. The Association also began sharing information about Infant Mental Health principles and practices through presentations with statewide groups. The first cohort was identified to begin Endorsement for the state of West Virginia.

2016-2020

In 2016, the first cohort of 5 individuals completed Endorsement with the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health. This paved the way for West Virginia to begin endorsing professionals by 2017.

Throughout the next several years, the Association accomplished much.

Increased membership to a total of 88 members
Endorsed 28 professionals within West Virginia
Created and supported a monthly Reflective Supervision cohort
Completed a crosswalk of Core Knowledge and Competencies for Early Childhood Professionals and West Virginia Infant/Toddler Mental Health Core Competency and Endorsement Guidelines
Hosted and facilitated a week of lunchtime webinars in October and May with over 125 people participating each day
Hosted a social media campaign during Infant Mental Health Week
Worked with Infant/Toddler Specialists to complete the process of Endorsement and began accepting four additional specialists
Participated in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Center of Excellence (CoE) for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) conference calls with various members serving on work groups
Created a website to maintain social and emotional resources and materials
Formed a Higher Education subcommittee
Received WV STARS Entity status
Introduced a bi-monthly electronic newsletter to share news within the Association
Collaborated with Project LAUNCH to educate disciplines about early childhood mental health consultation roles and definitions
Collaborated with WV Home Visitation to encourage home visitors to seek Endorsement
Developed a YouTube page that houses all webinars as a membership benefit

2021

The Association continued to grow and expanded in all areas during 2021. Here are some of the most significant accomplishments.

Increased membership to 94 members
Endorsed 45 professionals
Responded to need for materials during COVID-19 and expanded website to include up-to-date materials, resources, and links
Developed branded Association social media posts for each month
Surveyed membership on professional development needs, supports, and Endorsement
Completed Advisory Board Equity and Inclusion Readiness Survey
Hosted a documentary screening of Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope followed by reflection and discussion
Purchased 50 e-tickets for members who were interested in participating in the brand new, self-paced Reflective Supervision modules produced by the Center for Early Education and Development
Strengthened collaboration within higher education through the purchase and sharing of resources and materials (including competency guidelines to be embedded in upcoming coursework) at West Virginia University and West Virginia University Parkersburg
Sponsored “The Growing Brain”, a 6-hour training curriculum
Sponsored “Guidelines for 0-3 Childcare During COVID-19: Balancing Physical Health and Safety with Social Emotional Development” webinar
Sponsored two reflective practice small groups that meet once a month for a year
Piloted Meaning Making Mondays as a way to support members and increase the sharing of resources and knowledge within our membership

2022

Throughout 2022, the Association remained focused on supporting relationships and engaging communities in self-care. Significant accomplishments include:

Supported membership of 153 members
Offered one-year free membership to professionals within 44 child care homes, facilities, and centers
Increased number of Endorsed professionals to 66
Responded to new research regarding the impacts of COVID on language development by developing and sharing two new resources: A renewed focus: Promoting the importance of nurturing relationships in language development for babies and young children and a Family Guide for Supporting Language Development
Developed monthly branded Association social media posts for one year
Supported a new Reflective Practice cohort which met once a month for a year
Hosted an October webinar series on Attachment, co-presented by two West Virginia leaders (Amy Root and Amanda Newhouse)
Piloted a new format with hosted webinar series: a one-hour session followed by a half hour of questions, discussion, sharing of resources, and reflection
Hosted Dr. Ed Ehlinger, former Commissioner of Health/Director of Infant and Maternal Health in Minnesota and West Virginia’s National Leadership Academy for Public Health coach, who presented “Creating the Narrative in Which All People Can Be Healthy and Thrive” which discussed equity, health disparities, changing the medical model, societal impacts around current medical models, and ACEs
Collected and shared resources on the trauma experienced by children during conflict/war and supporting children when traumatic events occur in communities
Participated in two national studies (The Indigo Cultural Center/finding ways to support more equitable and anti-racist services for children, families, and communities and East Tennessee University/perceived values, benefits, and attitudes of Endorsement
Developed and hosted a week-long webinar series around Cultural Humility
Purchased and shared 14 virtual tickets for the Brazelton Touchpoints series “Strengths-Based Family Engagement”
Purchased and shared 7 tickets for the ZERO to THREE series “Growing Brain”
Facilitated a Higher Education subcommittee that is working on researching the cost of supporting an individual to participate in a virtual clinical certificate program, developing strategies to infuse infant mental health principles and practices into current coursework, and developing materials to connect with current and recent students to inform about Endorsement
Added Endorsement to the WV Pathway to Earnings program

2023

Through 2023, the Association remained focused on building relationships and the capacity of support for young children and families. Significant accomplishments include:

Increased Endorsed professionals by 33%, we now 89 Endorsed professionals
Maintained an additional 37 EASy registrations in the process of seeking IMH Endorsement®
Launched a survey, in collaboration with WVU, to study gaps within Infant Mental Health practices as determined by practitioners and college/university educators
Hosted a week long webinar series on self-care
Completed ACDS crosswalk, updated WVIT I and WVIT II crosswalks
Released the West Virginia Preparedness for Emergency Response Toolkit: A Social Emotional Relational Approach, which offers a framework in thinking through emergency preparedness plans in a developmentally appropriate and trauma informed manner to further the social emotional development of infants and young children
Developed and piloted a webinar using information from the West Virginia Preparedness for Emergency Response Toolkit

Partnered with Amanda Newhouse and Tina Antill-Keener on the delivery of the first Brazelton Touchpoints Training in West Virginia provided by West Virginia trainers (the 10- week module training and 6 Reflective Supervision sessions were offered free to Association members
Supported a new Reflective Practice cohort, which met once a month for 9 months
Conducted a membership survey to help inform the work of the Association moving forward including, why continue membership within the Association, what resources and supports are most accessed by our members, how to continue and improve communication within the membership, what professional development topics would be most needed by the membership, whether the Association’s programs and services are free from explicit or implicit racial bias, the roles and experience of our membership, and what else the Association can do to better support the membership
Hosted a week-long webinar series on supporting professionals and families still managing the effects of COVID-19, 100% of participants for all five days were satisfied with the webinars.
Secured 5 spots in the Behavioral Assessment of Baby’s Emotional and Social Style (BABES) Toolkit training (hosted by West Virginia Birth to Three), which was an intensive, multi-day training provided background on social emotional development, key indicators during this time of development, as well as an overview of the toolkit which includes practical, hands-on strategies for supporting families
Purchased additional BABES toolkits for the agencies that participated in the training so they can train other staff on the use of the toolkit
Purchased 10 tickets for members to attend the national Brazelton Touchpoints webinar series Supporting Everyone’s Mental Health
Purchased 8 individual access passes to a series on Reflective Supervision created by First3Years Texas

Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health

The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health is a global organization that partners with state associations of infant mental health so that associations can support, grow, diversify, and advocate for their local infant & early childhood mental health-informed workforce. Currently there are 35 associations for infant mental health and two international associations who have licensed the use of the Competency Guidelines (MI-AIMH Copyright © 2017) and/or the Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health^®. Each association is a member of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health.