Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health®
NJ-AIMH is one of 35 infant mental health state associations and two international associations that have licensed the use of the Competency Guidelines® and/or the Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health®. Each association is a member of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health® which works to promote early relationships for infants, toddlers, and young children, prenatal to six.
World Association for Infant Mental Health
We are also an affiliate of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. WAIMH is an interdisciplinary, international infant mental health organization that supports research, education, and intervention aimed at promoting optimal mental health for infants and their caregivers, sponsors regional and world conferences, and promotes international cooperation and networking amongst individuals from diverse disciplines.
History of the Association
Founded in 1990, NJ-AIMH was created to increase awareness of the importance of infancy in psycho-social development, promote competence in the areas of cultural and ethnic diversity in family child-rearing practices, and facilitate statewide cooperation among inter-disciplinary professionals and organizations concerned with promoting conditions that bring about the optimal development of infants and caregiver-infant relationships.
Historically, NJ-AIMH has led the field in New Jersey by providing educational opportunities in infant, toddler, and family development through forums and conferences, dissemination of publications on infant mental health, and advocacy for public policies to foster awareness of the importance of infant mental health.