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Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Applicants Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Endorsement applicants must pass an exam prior to earning Endorsement. The exam has two parts; both are based on the Competency Guidelines. The exams are administered through the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, the international organization that oversees the implementation of the Endorsement for Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health®. The Alliance uses a completely virtual exam proctoring system called Questionmark. With the purchase of your exam registration the Alliance will ensure your exam is reviewed by trained exam reviewers, maintaining anonymity throughout the reviewing process, and providing you with meaningful feedback regardless of exam outcome.
Part One (60 Multiple Choice Questions – 90 minutes) One multiple-choice exam is administered for all Infant Mental Health Mentor Endorsement® applicants (centered around the 0 to 3 population) and one for all Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor Endorsement® applicants (centered around the 0 to 6 population). These are separate exams; IMH applicants will take the IMH multiple-choice and ECMH applicants will take the ECMH multiple-choice exam. Respondents have 90-minutes to answer 60 multiple-choice questions. 80% or better is required to pass; no more than 12 incorrect answers. The multiple-choice section of the exam is meant to measure what is known and is derived primarily from the knowledge and skill areas found under the Theoretical Foundations and Direct Service Skills domains of the Competency Guidelines. These domains address ones IECMH knowledge specific to work with pregnant people, infants/young children and their families. Within the Theoretical Foundations domain, there will be a greater emphasis on the areas of pregnancy and early parenthood; infant/young child development & behavior; attachment, separation, trauma, grief, & loss; cultural humility, diversity, equity & inclusion; and disorders of infancy/early childhood. Within the Direct Service Skills domain, there will be a greater emphasis on the areas of screening & assessment; parent-infant/very young child relationship-based therapies & practices; and reflective supervision/consultation (RSC). The multiple-choice questions will have a greater emphasis on direct service, however, there will be some questions related to RSC, policy, ethical practice, service delivery systems and research. Knowledge gained through course work, specialized in-service training, and self-study will be most useful in this section of the exam.
Part Two (Written Exam – 90 minutes) The vignettes/scenarios portion of the exam is different for each category/scope of practice of Endorsement and is a written exam. This section is intended to measure the applicant’s capacity to apply their knowledge of IECMH principles into practice and to demonstrate a reflective, relationship-based approach. While all of the competency areas are important, the ones under the Reflection, Thinking, and Working with Others domains are important to the qualitative section for Mentor - Clinical. The Administration domain is the primary focus of the Policy exam. Policy applicants are asked to demonstrate a capacity to promote IECMH principles and practices within and across systems. The Research & Evaluation domain is the primary focus of the Research/Faculty exam. In the Research/Faculty exam, one scenario is more specific to teaching; the other scenario is more specific to empirical research. Research/Faculty applicants will demonstrate a commitment to IECMH principles and practices related to research or course planning and instruction.
Exam Prep Resources:
| Exam Accommodations: If an exam taker requires an accommodation for any part of the examination, a written request must be submitted to the Alliance Exam Coordinator (endorsementexam@allianceaimh.org) at the time of exam registration. The request should include specific details of the accommodation being requested along with supporting documentation (e.g. assessment/documentation from another professional). The Alliance is dedicated to addressing the needs of all members and will work collaboratively with applicants to create a reasonable accommodation plan. However, not all requests may be granted, as accommodations must align with maintaining the integrity of the exam and the confidentiality of the applicant. For applicants whose primary language is not English, an accommodation of up to an additional 60 minutes per section is available allowing a total of 2 ½ hours for Part One and 2 ½ hours for Part Two of the exam. Additionally, applicants may bring a translation dictionary (e.g., Spanish-to-English) into the examination. This standard English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) accommodation requires only a written request. Retake Policy: If an applicant does not achieve a passing score on the multiple-choice and/or the vignette/scenario sections of the exam, they may retake that section, six months after the original exam date, a new Exam Support Package must be purchased from the Alliance store before the applicant can retake the exam. If an applicant does not complete either or both parts of the exam after being scheduled, a new exam support package must be purchased from the Alliance Store before the applicant can reschedule the exam. For assistance or to discuss your individual needs, please contact our Endorsement Coordinator. |
