Info :
Access to Seneca's campuses is limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontario is currently in a shutdown to lessen the spread of the virus. Seneca's on-campus activities for winter 2021 will continue as scheduled.
Information about critical dates and program delivery for the Summer 2021 term is now available.
Infant & Early Child Mental Health (IMH)
Starts in September
Location
Duration
2 Semesters (8 Months)Credential Awarded
Ontario College Graduate CertificateSeneca is delivering this program in an online format in January 2021. Learn more about technical requirements for online learning.
About the Program
This eight-month graduate certificate program provides you with additional training and skills to enhance your current career and open up new opportunities. As a student in this program, you will gain the tools necessary to support young families to promote positive mental health and to help prevent long-term mental health issues. You will also acquire skills, knowledge and judgment to make positive contributions to the best start in life for infants and their families.
There is a robust body of research and literature on early childhood development, including early mental health. A certificate in infant mental health will increase your knowledge and skills to work with vulnerable young children and their families.
Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:
Practical applications of current research
Understanding of risk and protective factors
Early intervention applications
Work Experience
Field Placement
During this program you will complete a mandatory field placement. Prior to beginning your field placement, you will be required to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Police Check, an up to date medical form, and Standard First Aid and CPR. The documents will be validated by a third party.
Your Career
When you graduate from this program, these are the types of employers waiting for you:
- Child protection agencies
Early intervention
Children’s mental health
Child welfare
Infant development
Family support
Settlement programs
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.