A new University of Pittsburgh academic program aims to address the mental health, growth and development needs of infants and toddlers amid a shortage of qualified, working professionals.
Pitt has launched a new, online graduate certificate in Infant Mental Health.
The 12-credit program kicks off this fall, said Robert Gallen, program coordinator and health and human development professor at Pitt.
“Infant mental health is synonymous with social and emotional development,” Gallen said. “It’s focused on a child’s capacity to be in relationships, to grow and develop within the context of relationships, to regulate emotions and behaviors and to grow all in the context of their family, communities and culture.”
There is a nationwide shortage of trained infant and early childhood mental health professionals.
Nearly 50,000 Pennsylvanian infants and toddlers were served through early intervention support in 2022-23, but an analysis last year by the Pennsylvania Partnership for Children found mental health and behavioral services still are underutilized.
“There are more families and children needing support than there are providers,” Gallen said.
Trained workers must have specialized knowledge and skills to support the social-emotional well-being of infants, toddlers and families, Gallen said.
Pitt will be one of the few colleges in the state to offer such a program, he said.
The program curriculum is aligned to endorsement through the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health and the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health, Gallen said.
Tuition is set at $750 per credit hour.
“I want them to learn ideas and knowledge that informs their practice and they can apply it to their field or discipline,” Gallen said, “so they can make an impact on an infant, toddler or family relationships.”