In support of infant and early childhood mental health educators, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has published a new addition to the EPAS Curricular Guide Resource Series, the Specialized Practice Curricular Guide for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH). The IECMH Guide was created with support from CSWE, the Erikson Institute, the Irving Harris Foundation and over 80 IECMH experts from across the nation, including faculty and alums from the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and the Wayne State University School of Social Work.

Using a competency-based approach, WSU Social Work Associate Professor Carolyn Dayton, PhD, MPSI Associate Professor – Research Ann Stacks, PhD and WSU Social Work Doctoral Student Julie Ribaudo, served as IECMH chapter leaders working to guide fellow researchers and practitioners in the development of curricula resources including podcasts, field activities, class exercises, and peer-reviewed articles. Dayton, Stacks, Ribaudo, and WSU alum and current Assistant Professor at the University of Buffalo School of Social Work Mickey Sperlich, PhD worked to develop nearly 50 percent of the guide content.

Wayne State currently hosts a Dual-Title Infant Mental Health Program offering graduate-level, multi-disciplinary training at the master and doctoral levels. Students receive specialized infant mental health coursework and community-level training in Detroit and neighboring communities. They contribute to WSU’s world class research on infancy and early childhood development and to the provision of state-of-the-art intervention services to families in Detroit and beyond. 

As a nationally recognized center for infant mental health research and training, we were well positioned to significantly contribute to the new IECMH Guide. Our hope is that the Guide will be used to assist in teaching the next generation of infant mental health practitioners and researchers, ultimately helping to improve the lives of infants, youth and families across the U.S. - WSU Social Work Associate Professor Carolyn Dayton