Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:
- Early intervention and prevention
- Children’s mental health
- Infant development programs
- Family support and resource programs
- Settlement programs
- Education settings
- Child welfare agencies
Campus
Duration
2 Semesters (8 Months)Credential Awarded
Ontario College Graduate CertificateProgram and course delivery
This program is offered in Seneca's hybrid delivery format. Some coursework is online and some must be completed in person. Students will need to come on campus to complete in-person learning requirements.
Learn more: Seneca’s program delivery options and how courses in this program will be delivered each term.
International students: review Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility before choosing program and course delivery.
About the Program
This eight-month, graduate certificate program provides you with additional knowledge and the skills required to specialize in infant and early childhood mental health. Expand your professional opportunities and learn to improve mental health outcomes across the early lifespan.
Coursework in family dynamics, attachment, brain development, health promotion and trauma will improve your knowledge of risk and protective factors, which are essential to supporting young families and promoting positive mental health. Draw on the insights of our experienced faculty for in-depth conversations on current research and practice in early intervention and mental health promotion across diverse populations.
This program will also introduce you to practical skills related to communicating with families, screening and assessment and advanced practice. Apply these skills and gain industry connections during your second semester field placement.
Skills
- Apply current research to support infant and early childhood mental health
- Identify and respond to risk and protective factors
- Use judgement to apply effective early intervention strategies
- Build rapport with families, colleagues and other professionals through responsive communication
Your Career
When you graduate from this program, these are the types of career options you can explore:
Work Experience
Field Placement
As an IMH student you will complete an unpaid field placement in semester two. Field placements provide students with the opportunity to integrate classroom teachings into practice while working in the community with infant mental health practitioners. Students will assist children and families and learn about mental health supports in various community settings, such as health promotion, early intervention, children's mental health and family resource programs. Students are appointed field placements depending on previous experience and long-term goals.
Success Story
Emily Danziger
“The professors in the IMH program worked in the field and provided real life examples to help connect our course work to the professional practice we would experience out in the field.”
Emily works as a Child Development Worker at Mothercraft, in their Early Intervention Department, Breaking the Cycle. After completing a placement at Breaking the Cycle in the final semester of the IMH program, she was hired. Emily uses her knowledge gained from the IMH program on a daily basis when providing one on one interventions with young children or facilitating mother-child groups. Emily found that the program’s focus on mental health and parent child relationships starting in infancy was extremely relevant to the field and her every day work.