Welcome to the IMH-Competency Framework!  Infant/early childhood professionals, regardless of role or discipline, share the goal of supporting children’s social and emotional development—this is at the heart of the IMH Competency and Endorsement® System!  The IMH-Competency framework is designed for organizations, programs and professionals who strive to build, strengthen and support social and emotional development.  It is a tool that guides professional development for IMH professionals and programs across the career lifespan.   

It is also used to guide the Endorsement® application process.  When an applicant applies for Endorsement® they must document acquisition and demonstration of the IMH competencies across education, work, training, and supervision and leadership experiences (where applicable).  In addition, applicants must secure three reference ratings (supervisor, supervisee, recipient of services, colleague, teacher/professor) who rate the extent to which an applicant demonstrates the IMH competencies in their work.

Each domain is comprised of IMH competencies with a description of how the competency is demonstrated in IMH practice.  There are separate and unique IMH competencies for professionals across a broad range of roles within the field of IMH from advocacy/promotion, to early intervention/prevention; clinical mental health; and leadership at the policy, clinical mental health, and research designations.  Review the full set of IMH Competencies for each type of Endorsement® here.