July Newsletter
Updates From Us
We're thrilled to share some exciting updates on all the great things happening at Oregon Infant Mental Health Association (ORIMHA) this month.
Save the Date.
The Northwest Early Learning & Pyramid Summit dates have been set! Please click here to view the flyer. Registration opened May 30!
Shining a light on Michelle Harvey.
This month, ORIMHA would like to feature Michelle Harvey, an endorsed provider, and express our gratitude for her significant contributions to early childhood mental health (ECMH).
Michelle is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Mentor - Clinical through ORIMHA. She has been providing Reflective Supervision & Consultation for early childhood professionals since 2014 and has worked in various early childhood settings as a home visitor, supervisor, manager, and mental health consultant. Our team recently had the opportunity to interview Michelle and ask her the following questions.
(Q) Where do you practice?
(A) I am physically located on Kalapuya land in Salem. I see people in person at my office here. I am licensed in Oregon but provide training and RSC for people across the country.
(Q) How long have you been in practice?
(A) I've been in the practice of relationships since before I was born. I've been officially working with babies, young children, and families since 2006 as a home visitor for Healthy Families, Relief Nursery, and Head Start programs. I haven't left since.
(Q) How long have you been endorsed?
(A) I don't know; since before the pandemic.
(Q) Do you provide Reflective Supervision?
(A) Absolutely; it's my favorite "work." I provide individual and group reflective supervision & consultation for all levels of endorsement in English and Spanish. I am also an approved clinical supervisor for social workers and professional counselor associates.
(Q) Do you have any special training?
(A) I'm always taking new trainings - I love learning! My favorite training to give is in supporting learning around how to have sensitive conversations with parents, particularly about trauma and ACEs. I was the Oregon NEAR@Home Facilitator under the MIECHV Innovation Grant. There are a lot of topics that feel really scary to broach with parents - I remember being petrified to deliver depression and relationship safety screenings because I didn't know what I would do if a parent indicated suicidality, for example. I now love helping others have these conversations in a way that feels safe and supported.
(Q) How do you work with young children and families (what roles)
(A) I'm a rostered Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) clinician in private practice and specialize in working with young children who have experienced trauma. My role is a "walk-along-sider" in the tender places while looking for all the wonderful things.
(Q) How can people get in touch with you?
(A) My website is radicalnest.com - they can also email me at michelle@radicalnest.com or send me a text at 971-345-4119.
Thank you Michelle, for your contributions to the development of Oregon's system of mental health consultation!
Congratulations.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Erin Kinavey Wennerstrom! ORIMHA’s executive director successfully defended her dissertation this spring and earned her PhD from the University of Oregon. As you can see from her abstract below, Erin’s research interests are closely aligned with ORIMHA’s focus on the well-being of the workforce. This expertise embedded in the leadership of ORIMHA ensures that the organization will emphasize the need to care for those who work with infants, children, caregivers, and families if we truly want what is best for babies. Congratulations, Erin! Your accomplishment is a win for ORIMHA and all its members.
Erin’s abstract:
Relationships and self-regulation are interrelated and critical to establishing healthy classroom climates. Unlike older students, young children under 5 are in the process of learning critical skills that will lead to later developmental and academic success. High quality teacher–child interaction and responsive caregiving requires the teachers to be adept at classroom management, stress management, and their own self-regulation. Teacher stress and wellbeing is at the crux of quality environments. Using linear regression and factor analysis respectively the purpose of this project was to pilot the use of teacher coping and stress measures to determine how coping impacts wellbeing, as well as investigate the usability and feasibility of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey with an early childhood serving population. The data for this project were collected in the Pacific Northwest and show that emotional based coping strategies predicated burnout and secondary stress.
Every Child Belongs.
What makes infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultation so effective? Relationships! Known as “the consultative stance,” IECMH consultants lead with compassion and curiosity so they can join with the adults in a young child’s life in a truly collaborative way. The elements of the consultative stance are:
Mutuality of endeavor. Consultation can only be effective when the consultee participates fully in the process.
Avoiding the position of sole expert. In accepting that the work is a collaborative effort between consultant and providers and parents, the position as exclusive expert must be abandoned.
Wondering instead of knowing. By wondering with, not acting upon, the consultant elicits the consultees involvement in the process and properly preserves the sense of the consultee as the holder of essential information and knowledge and as the agent of change.
Understanding another’s subjective experience. Subjective perception and internal experience influence action. Therefore, the IECMH consultant seeks to understand individual interpretations rather than assuming shared realities.
Considering all levels of influence. In addition to personal perceptions, there are numerous other influences on a provider’s views of a child/family and on their ability to respond effectively.
Hearing and representing all voices —especially the child’s. Eliciting the voices of all consultee organization members, the consultant is dedicated to hearing about and from each individual.
The centrality of relationships. Because we know that development for both young children and adults is transactional, relationships are the focus of IECMH consultation.
Parallel process as an organizing principle. The consultant’s way of being emanates from their conviction that the ways in which people are treated affect how they will feel about themselves and treat other people.
Patience. Just as consultants encourage and attempt to foster patience in provider’s and caregiver’s relationships with children, consultants must also be patient with consultees and the pace of change.
Holding hope. Providers often lose hope in the face of daily crises and persistent challenges. The consultant must maintain their belief in change in a slowly shifting system.
Job Openings.
MountainStar is looking to hire a new part time (20-hour) position to work throughout the Warm Springs Reservation. Click here to find out more about the Outreach Coordinator position. Contact hr@mtstar.org with questions or interest.
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is recruiting an Early Childcare Specialist to join their team in Bend, Oregon. Click here for more information about the Early Childcare Specialist position. Contact hr@mtstar.org with questions or interest.
Scholarship Opportunities.
Did you know you may be eligible for scholarships to help pay for professional development opportunities? Check out the Portland State University scholarship page for more information.
Congratulations are in order!
Congratulations to our new endorsees:
Andrea Roberts
Estefania Navarro
Jessica Loeza
Lorena McMahan
Be a voice for babies, families, and the community.
Make a donation today.
Are you in need of reflective supervision?
ORIMHA has a Reflective Supervision Registry where you can find a list of Infant Mental Health Mentors and Infant Mental Health Specialists. Click below to access the registry. AND ORIMHA is offering low-cost group sessions. If you are interested, please email andrea@or-imha.org for more information.
Do you have questions about Endorsement?
Did you know ORIMHA offers virtual support office hours in both English and Spanish? Click the link below for more information and to complete the Zoom registration form.
