Foundations of Infant Mental Health

The Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health (BFH) is pleased to announce the Fall schedule for the Foundations of Infant Mental Health (FIMH) educational program.  FIMH is a collaborative effort between BFH, Tulane University's Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The program is offered twice per year; presenters are Paula Zeanah, PhD, MSN, RN (ULL) and Julie Larrieu, PhD (Tulane).

What is FIMH?

This 33 hour, six-day program emphasizes how the infant and young child's very earliest experiences affect later health and development. Grounded in attachment theory and incorporating up-to-date research, the program is video-rich and uses didactic as well as interactive approaches to highlight the fundamental importance of the parent-infant relationship in consideration of early brain development, the infant's social and emotional development, the cultural and ethnic contexts of parenting, and the implications for psychopathology, assessment and intervention.  Each session builds on the content of the previous sessions, so that the learner completes the program with a broad understanding of the importance of infant mental health.  Because content is foundational for all maternal and child professionals, the program also emphasizes inter-agency and cross-program collaboration.