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Two-day introductory training is led by Dr. Mirek Lojkasek, C. Psych a member of the team that developed the Watch, Wait and Wonder method, a co-principal investigator of the WWW research study and author of the training manual. Dr. Lojkasek brings 20 years of experience in the practice. supervision and training of mental health practitioners in Watch, Wait and Wonder in Canada, the US and in the UK. WWW VANCOUVER 2018 FLYER AND REG...
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SPEAKER: Dr. Nicole Sonya Vellet, Ph.D., R. Psych., Vellet & Associates Child Psychological Services TOPIC: Dr. Vellet will screen the classic James Robertson Film “A Two Year Old Goes to Hospital” about the suffering of a little girl separated from her mother, and talk about its significance for infant mental health. The session will focus on role of images and video footage in the history of the field of attachment (e.g., video footage by Rene Spitz of children in orphanages and John Roberston’s film of a child separated from her parents when she was hospitalized) and the clinical power of video feedback in attachment-based interventions....

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Welcome to WCAIMH!

We are glad you have found us!

WCAIMH meets regularly to share information, resources and connect with each other to promote optimal practices in infant mental health. Here, you can find information for parents and professionals, as well as our monthly events.

WHAT IS INFANT MENTAL HEALTH?

In infancy and early childhood, nurturing family relationships provide the foundation for social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. The resulting positive infant mental health is key to long term relationships and mental health. Early positive relationships can lead to resilience in the face of life’s challenges.

Happy Mixed Race Ethnic Family Having Fun Playing In The Park.

WCAIMH promotes:

The idea that infancy is a sensitive period in development
Increased knowledge about development in children from conception to five years of age
The dissemination of evidence-based and experience-based knowledge to support parents in healthy caregiving and providing nurturing environments for children
The cooperation and collaboration of professionals concerned with promoting optimal development of infants and young children

Recent Blog Posts

September 21, 2018 |

Dr. Pat Mirenda: Parent and Child Early (PACE) Coaching Project

SPEAKER: Pat Mirenda is a Professor in the Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology and Special Education, and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism (CIRCA) at the University of British Columbia. She has published numerous research articles and chapters and presents frequently at international, national, and regional conferences. Her current research examines how children with autism and their families grow and develop over time, and the effectiveness of a parent coaching intervention for toddlers at-risk for autism. SUMMARY: This session will provide an overview of the objectives and procedures of the PACE Coaching project, which is aimed at parents of 15-30 month old children who are at risk for autism spectrum...

October 15, 2017 |

Past Events – WCAIMH Talk: October 26, 2017 – The Rights of the Infant

CHANGE IN MEETING ROOM – Go to room K1-156 on the first floor Ambulatory Care Building at BC Children’s hosptial SPEAKER: Dr. Ziba Vaghri – University of Victoria Director of Global Child Program & School of Public Health and Social Policy Assistant Professor . Co-Chair and Secretariat of the Global Reference Group on Accountability to Children: a global network working under the auspices of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child . Recipient of the 2014 Scholar Award of Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. TOPIC: The rights of the infant in global...

June 22, 2017 |

Past Events – WCAIMH Talk: September 19, 2017 – Outcomes of Children Born Very Prematurely: How Can We Help?

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS A TUESDAY AND NOT OUR REGULAR THURSDAY MEETING SPEAKER: Dr. Julie Petrie is a Developmental Clinical Consultant in the Psychology Department at BC’s Children’s & Women’s Hospitals. In the Neonatal Follow-up Program, she provides psychological assessment and consultation to families of ‘high-risk’ children recruited at birth from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Julie also participates in research follow-up studies. She is particularly interested in the early detection of markers of brain integrity. In children born very prematurely, she has found infant focused attention is related to developing cognition and executive functions. Julie is also interested in how parent stress and parent-child interactions affect children’s neuro-development. TOPIC: > Julie will present...

February 1, 2017 |

International Attachment Conference – June 29 to July 1, 2017: London, UK

Putting attachment theory to work: From basic science to clinical application. IAC...

June 8th, 2023. Annual General Meeting.
Dear members and friends,

It is time to wrap up another year of connection, learning and hopefully for all of us, meaningful experiences. We invite you to attend our annual general meeting next Thursday, June 8 from 5:15pm to 6:45pm via zoom. There will be a planned discussion which includes a summary of the year’s finances as well as the president’s reporting of the year’s activities.

Also very important, election of the executive members will take place on this day and your vote is of essence to establish the new year’s team. Please if you are interested in an executive position or would like to nominate someone, it is important that you attend this meeting or fill out the attached proxy form authorizing someone to vote on your behalf if you cannot be there.

Also attached for preview are the Financial Report and the President’s Report.

If you have any questions please reach out any time. Otherwise we look forward to seeing you on June 8th and again, we encourage you to participate in this very important meeting which will help shape the new WCAIMH year of learning.

Please email aris@develop.bc.ca to get the AGM agenda and/or the Zoom link.

June 6, 2023. Lunch & Learn!
Hi everyone,

We are approaching another month!! And with that, means another Lunch & Learn – time where we can spend one lunch hour each month, together with other clinicians, diving into current research regarding infant mental health. Here is the next article we will tackle as a group: The ethics of infant and early childhood mental health practice (Izaak Lim, Jon Korfmacher, Alison Steier, Charles Zeanah, Paula D. Zeanah). The article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/Y2VXDTR7UJTIQX4CEQIT?target=10.1002/imhj.22055.
We look forward to your engagement with this article!

Please email aris@develop.bc.ca for the Zoom link.