Our Story

CIMHD realizes the vision of nurse scientist Kathryn E. Barnard, PhD, FAAN, an international pioneer in the field of infant mental health. In collaboration with our School of Nursing, which provides research knowledge and teaching faculty, and the Center on Human Development and Disability, which provides housing and administrative support, Dr. Barnard founded CIMHD, a multi-disciplinary resource for research, education and public policy.

With the additional support of generous funders, CIMHD opened its doors in 2001 with a five-year plan to increase the number of professionals trained to provide therapeutic support for parents and infants in Washington State. The first iteration of the Graduate Certificate Program in Infant Mental Health, which graduated the last of four cohorts of students in June 2006, filled a critical statewide need for individuals trained in the diagnosis and treatment of problems associated with social and emotional development in infants. Our graduates from diverse fields as nursing, social work, psychology, speech and language, and education are now using their new knowledge and skills to better serve families and infants throughout Washington, and to mentor other professionals, organizations and state agencies about the role of infant mental health in decisions about infant care.

Between 2006 and 2009 the Center offered several graduate classes and training opportunities in infant mental health. An interdisciplinary cohort of community professionals and UW Graduate students will begin the newly revised Irving B. Harris Graduate Certificate Program in Infant Mental Health in fall of 2009.

From 2001 to the present, the Center has conducted infant mental health research and training programs with numerous populations, including child welfare, childcare, Early Head Start, special needs, homeless, and therapeutic childcare.

Financial support for these initiatives was obtained from private benefactors or endowments and from local, state and federal grants.. The Center is currently working with public policy makers and state agencies to secure on-going public funding for many of its projects. We have been successful so far in obtaining state funding for one of the Certificate Program’s core courses.