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Welcome to the Association for Infant Mental Health AIMH (UK), an autonomous body affiliated to the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH). Infant mental health is the study of mental health as it applies to infants and their families. The field investigates optimal social and emotional development of infants and their families in the first three years of life.

Infant mental health is one of the most exciting and rapidly developing areas in the whole field of mental health. Research has shown that support for parents during their baby's first year can significantly increase the proportion of babies who form secure relationships with their parents, and this has lasting benefits for their subsequent development. A good beginning for young families is a protective factor in coping with life's inevitable stresses. Early intervention when there are difficulties can often prevent the development of mental health problems in later years.

Please visit the 'Member Benefits' page to view the benefits of becoming a member. Download new member application form here.

AIMH (UK) are now offering Children's Centres a special discounted membership rate. Download information here

Student concession rates are also available - contact the Administrator for further information. info@aimh.org.uk

CLINICAL WORKSHOPS 2012 - we are delighted to announce the first in our series of clinical workshops, 2012.

'Making Sense of the Symptoms and Behaviour of Survivors of Child Abuse who suffer from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and borderline traits'

Dr Felicity de Zulueta, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy at the SLaM NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Traumatic Studies at Kings College, London, will be presenting this workshop. DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE    DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM HERE

Date: Saturday 3rd March 2012. Venue: The Tavistock Centre London. Workshop fees:£45 members; £75 non-members (to include one years free membership to AIMH (UK) £30.00 Students (subject to eligibility). Please express interest as soon as possible, info@aimh.org.uk as seats are sure to go quickly, thank you.

OXPIP, Oxford Parent Infant Project, have a vacancy for Clinical Director. Please CLICK HERE for job specification and person description. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION, 1ST FEBRUARY 2012 If interested please contact Joanna Tucker, joanna.tucker@oxpip.org.uk

Recent articles

  Home Office Consultation on Domestic Abuse, click here to access website link and full consultation.
Theresa May's request for public, police, charities and practitioners views on the definition of domestic violence. Consultation launched on December 14 2011 and runs to March 30th 2012
  All Babies Count - Prevention and Protection for Vulnerable Babies, Chris Cuthbert, Gwynn Rayns, Kate Stanley NSPCC
Over recent years, there has been an explosion of new research and understanding about the significance of pregnancy and infancy in laying the foundations for child development. It is hoped that this report will make a substantial contribution to help with setting out the key building blocks to deliver the vision of a society where every baby is safe. A number of AIMH (UK) Committee Members and Advisors have contributed to this report. 
  Department of Health, December 2011; Children, Families and Maternity e-bulletin, Edition 69 Policy Update
Department of Health, Children, Families and Maternity e-bulletin Policy Update, December 2011. The Health and Social Care Bill is being considered by the House of Lords.
  Heightened Neural Reactivity to threat in child victims of family violence
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL London, The Anna Freud Centre London, Dept of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London; Dept of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London; Institue of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, London
  Ending Gang and Youth Violence
A Cross-Government Report, presented to Parliament by The Secretary of State for the Home Department by Command of Her Majesty - November 2011. Crown Copyright 2011.
The life stories that lead to murder..a young man, let's call him X, was born....
  'Best Practices' in Early Childhood Mental Health Programmes for Preschool-Age Children
Mental health services provided to very young children and/or their families have been variously named and conceptualised. Terms such as early childhood mental health programmes, mental health intervention programmes, and early social-emotional programmes are used interchangeably in the literature. Knitzer (2000) conceptualises the aim of early childhood mental health programmes as 'to improve the social and emotional well-being of young children and families by strengthening relationships with caregivers and promoting age-appropriate social and emotional skills........ Robin Balbernie suggests this document (2004) as "an interesting summary of evidence-based, preventative practice in the early years"
  An Infant Mental Health Service: The Importance of the Early Years and Evidence-Based Practice
This document gives detailed evidence for the importance of infant-parent psychotherapy and related relationship-based interventions as a therapeutic and preventative service for at-risk babies and their parents. Each section can stand alone; but helping small people seems to call for big explanations! Updated by Robin Balbernie 11 December 2011.
  Give me Strength
A campaign from 4Children to avert family crisis. Suffering in Silence : 4Children September 2011
  Management of Women with Mental Health Issues during Pregnancy and the Postnatal Period
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Good Practice No 14, June 2011.
  Violence in adults could be determined in first three years of life
The Journal.ie - Dublin 8 October 2011. Speaking at the first Irish Forum for Infant Mental Health, George Hosking, Clinical Criminologist and CEO of the WAVE Trust, referred to a seminal study of child behavioural development from New Zealand which demonstrated that nurses could predict criminal tendencies of children, 18 years in advance.....
  Psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents: a critical review of the evidence base
Nick Midgeley and Ellis Kennedy. Psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adloescents: a critical review of the evidence base, Journal of Child Psychotherapy DOI:10.1080/0075417X.2011.614738. Ellis Kennedy is an AIMH (UK) Committee Member.

For many years psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies have been considered to lack a credible evidence-base and have consistently failed to appear in lists of 'empirically supported treatments'. This study systematically reviews the research evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and young people.......
  Postnatal depression: NHS is failing new mothers, say researchers
Doctors are prescribing antii-depressants rather than prescribing counselling and other treatments. The Guardian Saturday 1st October 2011, Article by Tracey McVeigh. This article was published on guardian.co.uk at
  Short and Long Term Effects of Daycare
Short and Long Term Effects of Daycare: Results of the Large Scale American Study. Presentation by Jay Belsky Conference, Bielefeld, Germany 23 September 2011
  Differential Susceptibility to Rearing Practices
Differential Susceptibility to Rearing Practices Presentation by Jay Belsky, Conference in Bielefeld, Germany, 23 September 2011
  Attachment simplifies the complexity
http.//adc.bmj.com/content/96/9/793.full. Sebastian Kraemer, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Whittington Hospital, London N19  5NF. What is missing from this welcome paper on systemic approaches in the early months of life is attachment, the most thoroughly researched paradigm in research in developmental psychology (Music 2011). Attachment is a biological system that we share with all mammals (and many other species) for protecting the infant, but the mothers capacity to do so  - to love her child - is powerfully influenced by her own relationships, particularly with her mother (Fonagy et al 1991)    
  Tory MP plans network to help parents bond with babies
Judy Cooper, Community Care, Friday 16 September 2011. Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom has announced plans to create a national network of charitable parenting projects to offer intensive support to parents unable to bond with their babies. The MP hopes that the Parent Infant Project will reduce the risk of children being taken into care and address the 'lifelong negative impact' with a parent not bonding with their child.
  Building a Foundation for Prosperity on the Science of Early Childhood Development
Science tells us that early childhood is a time of both great opportunity and considerable risk. For better or worse, its influence can extend over a lifetime. A strong foundation in early childhood lays the groundwork for responsible citizenship, economic prosperity, healthy communities and successful parenting of the next generation........"all available information points to the same conclusion - intervention in the early years can make an important difference, but the magnitude of policy and programme impacts must be increased"  Jack P Shonkoff, M.D
  Stressing out the Poor - Chronic Psychological Stress and the Income-Achievement Gap
by Gary W Evans, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Pamela Kato Klebanov. It is well known that economic deprivation early in life sets children on a trajectory toward diminished eductional and occupational attainment.........
  Beyond Diathesis Stress: Differential Susceptibility to Environmental Influences.
Jay Belsky and Michael Pluess, Birkbeck University of London
  Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes?
Jay Belsky; C Jonassaint; M Pluess; M Stanton; B Brummett and R Williams. Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck University of London, Dept of Psychology, Duke University of Durham, NC, USA and Dept of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC, USA
 
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