The Competency Guidelines for Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health® (Endorsement) are internationally recognized credentials that support and recognize the development and proficiency of professionals who work with or on behalf of pregnant women, young children, birth up to 6-years old, and their families. Both the Infant Mental Health Endorsement® (IMH-E®) and the Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement® (ECMH-E®) are based on a set of competencies designed to support and enhance culturally sensitive, relationship focused practice within the framework of infant and early childhood mental health. An Endorsement applicant demonstrates acquisition of these competencies through education, work, specialized training, and reflective supervision experiences.

Working with our youngest citizens requires specialized training and experience, and IMH-E® ensures professionals have attained a certain level of expertise with 0 – 3 year olds and their families.  ECMH-E® assures that professionals have attained a specific level of expertise with 3 up to 6-year olds and their families.  Both IMH-E® and ECMH-E® are relevant for professionals across disciplines including early care and education, prevention and early intervention, home visitation, medicine, child welfare, mental health, policy, academia, and others.

Endorsement is available across four different practice specialties spanning the continuum of care. Individuals apply for the Endorsement category that best matches their scope of practice.

Below are the Competency Guidelines

https://coaimh.myeasy.org/competency-guidelines

Infant Mental Health Endorsement®

• Infant Family Associate: Promotion
• Infant Family Specialist: Prevention/Intervention
• Infant Mental Health Specialist: Clinical Intervention/Treatment
• Infant Mental Health Mentor: Leadership

Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement®

• Early Childhood Family Associate: Promotion
• Early Childhood Family Specialist: Prevention/Intervention
• Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist: Clinical Intervention/Treatment
• Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor: Leadership

Endorsed Reflective Supervisor Add-on Requirements

• IECMH Endorsement in Any Category: To apply for the ERS add-on, you must hold an active Endorsement in any IECMH category.
• Supervision Prerequisite: a minimum of 24 hours of reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) from an Endorsed provider while engaged in IECMH-related work.

• 1 year of providing RSC while receiving 12 hours of RSC about the provision of RSC
  • Not required for Emerging*
• 15 of training on provision of RSC
  • 5 hours required for Emerging*
• 2 references; 1 from RSC provider, 1 from RSC supervisee
  • 2 references: 1 from RSC provider and 1 other required for Emerging*

• An Endorsed provider with the ERS add-on.
• An Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor-Clinical endorsee.

https://coaimh1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ERS-Endorsement.pdf

Below is the list of Colorado Endorsee Professionals.

https://coaimh.myeasy.org/endorsement-registry

Steps to Endorsement by CoAIMH

1. Become a member of CoAIMH https://coaimh1.wpenginepowered.com/membership/ or IMH Association Membership
2. Determine which Endorsement is best for you: IMH-E® or ECMH-E®
3. Determine which Endorsement category is best for you based on your scope of practice: promotion, prevention, intervention, or leadership
4. Register on EASy  https://coaimh.myeasy.org/  CoAIMH’s web-based system for compiling applications for Endorsement.  The first time you visit EASy, select “Register” under “New Applicant”
5. To register, EASy requires you to provide a brief description of your work, education, and RSC experiences.  Complete and submit, including payment of the EASy Registration Fee
6. Log into EASy using the username and password issued to you via email from EASy and begin to prepare your application!
7. Work on your application!  Contact the Endorsement Coordinator for support at endorsement@coaimh.org
8. Once completed, submit your application along with the Processing Fee
9. Your application will undergo an application review.  For Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist & Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor applicants, you’ll also need to successfully pass an Endorsement exam
10. Endorsement!
11. Proudly use your Endorsement credential to tell employers, parents, health and legal practitioners, and insurance providers that you have expertise related to the social and emotional development of infants and young children in families!
12. Endorsement is on-going renewal on a fixed 3 year cycle

The Endorsement Packet gives a detailed description of the Endorsement Process

https://coaimh1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Endorsement-Applicant-Packet-2026.pdf

Application Submission Deadlines for All IMH-E® and ECMH-E® categories:

Infant Mental Health Mentor, and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Endorsement applicants must pass an exam prior to earning Endorsement. The exam has two parts: both are based on the Competency Guidelines.

Applicants are encouraged to engage their provider of RSC to think together about the applicant’s professional journey, capacity for reflection, and understanding of parallel process all in relation to readiness for the exam.  If gaps in knowledge are identified, use the resource list to identify readings that will fulfill the gaps.  If the provider of RSC expresses reservations related to the capacity to apply IECMH principles into practice, the applicant is encouraged to continue with RSC and the on-going assessment of skills in the areas of Reflection, Thinking, and Working with Others.

Part One (60 Multiple Choice Questions – 90 minutes)

The multiple-choice, or quantitative, section is primarily focused on infant and early childhood mental health knowledge specific to work with infants, young children, and their families.  Most questions will be related to direct service, but there will be some questions related to reflective supervision/consultation, policy, and research. The multiple-choice section is the same for all Specialist and Mentor applicants. Knowledge gained through course work, specialized in-service training, and self-study will be most useful in this section of the exam.  IMH-E® applicants are expected to have knowledge on pregnant women, infants, young children (up to age 3), and families. ECMH-E® applicants are expected to have knowledge on pregnant women, infants, young children (up to age 6), and families.

Part Two (Vignettes – 90 minutes)

The qualitative section will ask for responses to vignettes. This section is intended to measure the applicant’s capacity to apply their knowledge of IECMH principles into practice and to demonstrate a reflective, relationship-based approach.  While all of the competency areas are important, the ones under the Reflection, Thinking, and Working with Others domains are important to the qualitative section for Mentors – Clinical.

The Administration domain is the primary focus of the Policy exam. Policy applicants are asked to demonstrate a capacity to promote IECMH principles and practices within and across systems.

The Research & Evaluation domain is the primary focus of the Research/Faculty exam.  In the Research/Faculty exam, one scenario is more specific to teaching; the other scenario is more specific to empirical research. Research/Faculty applicants will demonstrate a commitment to IECMH principles and practices related to research or course planning and instruction.

Resources

Endorsement Exam Packet

https://coaimh1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Endorsement-Exam-Packet-2026.pdf