Endorsement® involves a standardized process to determine that a professional has accumulated specialized experiences in the infant and early childhood field and has signed a Code of Ethics. All applicants receive a copy of the Code of Ethics. An applicants' experiences are documented by the submission of an application that details competency-based training, specialized work experiences, and for most, reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) experiences. The application also includes official transcripts and three reference ratings. Endorsees as Infant Mental Health Specialist and Infant Mental Health Mentor have passed an exam that includes measures of theoretical knowledge, direct service skills, and their capacity to apply these principles into practice. This exam is scored by a team of two reviewers who are blind to the identity of the examinee.

To maintain Endorsement® also requires ongoing training and, in the cases of Infant Family Specialist, Infant Mental Health Specialist and Infant Mental Health Mentor-Clinical, ongoing RSC. Endorsees are also required to re-commit to upholding the Code of Ethics annually. Beginning in January of 2023, this commitment includes signing an attestation that the endorsee has not been sanctioned by a licensing board.

Endorsement® is not a professional license or a certificate. UAIMH Endorsement® cannot guarantee the quality of service of any endorsed professional. UAIMH Endorsement® does not include a process by which complaints or concerns regarding ethics can be filed. If UAIMH becomes aware of possible ethics violations by an endorsed professional, complainants are encouraged to, when applicable, contact the individual's professional licensing board. The UAIMH Endorsement® does not offer monitoring for ethics violations, however if UAIMH learns that an endorsed professional has been sanctioned by a licensing board, the individual's name is moved to the Inactive Endorsement® Registry. Those professionals will follow the policy for reactivation to the Active Endorsement® Registry once the licensing board's sanctions have been lifted.

Infant Family Associate

   Lisa Davenport, IMH-E®

   Kathryn Ricord, IMH-E®

   Alex Collopy, IMH-E®

   Suzanne Leonelli, IMH-E®

Infant Family Specialist

   Heidi Petersen, IMH-E®

   Malinda Freitag, IMH-E®

   Susan Louise Dickinson, IMH-E®

Infant Family Reflective Supervisors 

Infant Mental Health Specialist

Infant Mental Health Mentor

   Codie Thurgood, IMH-E® - Policy