Heather Soderberg, an early childhood coach at the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County since 2014, recently added a new endorsement to her credentials: Infant Mental Health® (IMH-E®) Infant Family Associate! Offered through the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health (CoAIMH), the endorsement recognizes culturally sensitive, relationship-focused practice promoting infant mental health.
“I have been working towards this endorsement for my whole career,” Soderberg said. “All of my education, training and professional opportunities I have experienced in my career for the past 20 years made the decision to apply a natural next step.”
Soderberg has a passion for infant mental health, which inspired her to apply for the endorsement. “What I appreciate about this opportunity is that it is
not a degree, license, or other certification, which can take more time and money to complete,” she said. “The endorsement is the recognition of a person’s professional achievement of knowledge and training in the area of infant and early childhood mental health.”
The application process was fairly straightforward given Soderberg has robust experience and knowledge required for the endorsement. Soderberg has dedicated her entire career to infant and early childhood care and education. In addition to her new IMH-E® Infant Family Associate endorsement, Soderberg is the Infant and Toddler Specialist-EQIT Team Lead at the Council. She is also a Certified Reflective Supervisor/Consultant and an Approved Trainer through the Colorado Department of Education.
“This endorsement, I believe, is a great example to all of how critically important the field of early childhood education and infant mental health are,” she said. “Every person in the field plays an important role in the healthy development of young children and their families. This process opened my eyes to see how much of our work is directly related to the mental health of infants and toddlers and families.”
Soderberg is one of more than 130 professionals in Colorado with the IMH-E® Infant Family Associate endorsement. Click here to learn more about the Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health (IMH-E ®).