Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate Program Scholarship for Practicing Clinicians

The graduate certificate in Infant/Toddler Mental Health: A Relationship-Based Approach is designed for professionals who are working with families who have children from the prenatal period to 36 months of age.

This online program is designed for professionals who are interested in ...

• Dynamics of infant and toddler development
• Protective factors in family environments
• Risk factors for mental health problems in family environments
• Social, emotional, and developmental difficulties of infants, toddlers, and their families
• Early screening and assessment
• Theories of treatment
• Home- and community-based intervention
• Diagnostic classification systems for mental health disorders in young children
• Collaborative service approaches

The Health Systems Division of the Oregon Health Authority, in partnership with Portland State University’s College of Education, offers 10 full tuition scholarships. To qualify, Mental Health Clinicians must work with Medicaid eligible children, 0-5 years and/or their families. This scholarship covers the full cost of the 20-credit ITMH Graduate Certificate program and the summer Pre-admission for the Intro to ITMH class. Priority is given to bilingual and/or bi-cultural professionals working with priority populations. Students complete the program in 5 terms (Summer, 2020 through Summer, 2021).

Ten scholarships available

• Fully online classes
• Scholarship covers the graduate section of Introduction to Infant/Toddler Mental Health and the year-long Infant/Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate Program courses (total of 23 credits)
• Courses align with the Masters in Early Childhood: Inclusive Ed and Curriculum & Instruction – Infant/Toddler Mental Health Specialization
• Program aligns with Oregon’s IMH Endorsement® Competencies for education

Preference will be given to applicants who meet the following requirements:

1. Mental health providers (therapists/clinical social workers) in an Oregon agency serving Medicaid-eligible families with children 0-5
2. Applicants with bi-cultural/bilingual experience
3. Those serving in Oregon rural communities
4. Recipients will agree to continue to be employed in an Oregon agency serving Medicaid-eligible families of children 0-5 for at least one year following completion of the program.*

Scholarship includes tuition (including Introduction to ITMH, offered summer term), distance fees, and matriculation fee.

*If recipients leave their employment at an Oregon agency serving Medicaid-eligible families of children 0-5 prior to one year following completion of the program, they are subject to having to repay the scholarship.

Application process

Complete the scholarship online application form and submit an essay in response to the following questions. To qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Infant Toddler Mental Health Scholarship, you must be eligible for PSU and Infant/Toddler Mental Health Program admission. Please note that your bachelor's degree needs to be from a regionally accredited college or equivalent. Individuals who are awarded the ITMH Graduate Certificate Program Scholarship must apply for PSU program admission by July 1, 2020.

Essay questions

The essay must use Times New Roman, font size 12pt, double-spaced, 1-inch margins. Each essay is 1.5-2 pages. Please upload a pdf document of your essay with your name at the top of each page when you submit your online scholarship application.

1. Describe how the Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate certificate will improve your ability to work with young children and families.
2. The Oregon Health Authority (OHS) scholarships requires one year full employment* within two years of completing the program related to Medicaid-eligible children 0-5 and their families focused on mental health services. Describe how you will meet this requirement (agency, primary work, location).

*Full time employment may be considered as two years working half-time or another variation of a full year’s employment within a two-year period of graduating.

Submit for essays to: itmh@pdx.edu / Subject line: 2020-2021 ITMH Graduate Certificate Scholarship

What you should know

• Scholarship Applications Due: due by Summer 2020
• Completed Applications for ITMH program admission due July 1, 2020
• Classes run Summer 2020 through late summer 2021
• Ability to commit 15 hours a week to instruction and assignments

Complete the Application

For more information, contact Ingrid Anderson at itmh@pdx.edu