The Infant Mental Health Podcast

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In this episode, Natalie and I dig into the article Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life and reflect on what it really means to feel like you matter—starting in infancy and continuing throughout our lives. We talk about being seen, valued, and knowing that who you are (and what you bring) counts, both in our work and in our relationships. It’s an honest, relational conversation about why mattering isn’t an “extra,” it’s foundational… and yes, that includes you too.

Reference:
Center on the D...

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Our conversation with Jess touches on navigating change, embracing growth, and maintaining connection with ourselves while staying committed to the families we support. Whether you’re a professional in the field or someone curious about the complexities of early relationships, this episode offers reflection, insight, and encouragement for the evolving journey of life and work in IMH. 

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Natalie and I spend most of our time working directly with providers and students through reflective consultation and training, so it was a refreshing shift to step back and talk with Christy Serrano about the broader policy landscape. Our conversation offered a wider lens on how policy shapes infant mental health. It was a great reminder that while our work often happens in the moment, it’s deeply connected to the systems and decisions happening around us.

Here is the paper Christy mentioned:

 **Miller, A. L., Ste...

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We thought we wrapped it up last time… but there’s more to say!  After our Same Baby, New Name? episode, we kept thinking — and talking. So we’re back to revisit the ideas we didn’t quite finish, explore what still feels fuzzy, and reflect on how our understanding of Early Relational Health continues to grow. 

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In this episode, we’re diving into the buzz around Infant Mental Health and Early Relational Health — are they really different, or just two ways of talking about the same thing? We chat about where the language came from, why the shift is happening, and what it means for those of us working with babies and families — what we know, and what we don’t. Let’s talk about it.

And for those of you who know more (and we know that’s many of you!), reach out and teach us — we’d love to k...

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In this episode, Natalie and I dive into the unique experience of providing reflective supervision as a manager. We share our insights, challenges, and practical takeaways for anyone navigating this important role. 

We’d love to hear what you think! Drop us a note at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com

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In this episode, Natalie and I dive into my experience participating in a fishbowl presentation at the Safe Babies Cross Site Conference. We unpack what it was like to be “in the bowl” and even create a little fishbowl of our own as we reflect together. 

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In this episode, Natalie and I share our reflections from the Safe Babies Cross Site Conference — focusing on one powerful presentation that has stayed with us. Join us as we unpack what we learned and why it continues to shape our thinking. 

Find out more about Safe Babies. 

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In this episode, Natalie and I reflect on a powerful webinar we attended through First3Years, From the NICU to the Nest: The Dual Journey of Infant and Parental Mental Health. We revisit one family’s story and explore it through the eyes of the parents, the medical professionals, and our own lens as reflective practitioners. Join us as we consider what these different perspectives can teach us about ourselves and supporting families.

We’d love to hear your reflections, too — reach out anytime at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com. 

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In this episode, Natalie and I explore the importance of cultivating compassion and empathy — why they matter and how we can intentionally grow them in our daily lives.

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk with one of her former students to hear her perspective on reflective practice.

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss a recent webinar she attended that sparked some reflections on the power of perspective-taking — a key element we practice in reflective supervision and consultation. 

Find more information on the Greater Good Science Center here.

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In this episode, Natalie and I share a bit about what’s been going on in our lives recently, along with a preview of what’s coming up.
We also take some time to process our personal reactions to the devastating floods that impacted Central Texas on the Fourth of July.

If you feel moved to support the flood relief efforts, you can donate here.

Interested in registering for one of the upcoming trainings we mentioned? You can sign up here.

We...

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk with Dr. Phill Stepka about Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).   We explore the foundations of CPP, its impact on young children and their caregivers, and what it looks like in practice. 

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Learn more about Dr. Phill Stepka.

You can find out more about Child Parent Psychotherapy.

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In this episode, we sit down with our colleague and Infant Mental Health trainer, Heather Pugh, MS, IMH-E®.  We explore her journey into the field, what has shaped her path, and the insights that continue to guide her professional growth.

Here are a few of the resources we mentioned:

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk with Dr. Eric Hansen about his work, what it’s like being a man in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH), and the importance of relationships. It was such a pleasure to meet him and have this conversation. If you're doing work in this space and would like to connect, we’d love to hear from you! We're always excited to meet others who are passionate about this work. 

You can reach us at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com

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 In this episode, Natalie and I explore what it's like to hear about an incident from someone else's perspective, and how to invite others into the process of change rather than trying to force them to be different. 

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss an upcoming training she has planned for new reflective supervisees.  

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In this episode, Natale and I have the opportunity to sit down with Alex Mylius, the interim CEO of First3Years, Texas' leading organization for infant mental health. Alex brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom, and we hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did. 

Let us know what you think!

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk more about co-regulation.  We discuss how our presence, not only our words, can be a tool.  

Here are a few things we referred to in the podcast:

Dr. Cynthia Frosch on Calming Cycle Theory

Dr. Stephen Porges Polyvagal Theory

Alex Korb Ted Talk

Bonnie Badenoch: The Myth of Self-Regulation

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss the concepts of Ghosts in the Nursery and Angels in the Nursery.  Please see the following references for the full articles:

Fraiberg, S., Adelson, E., & Shapiro, V. (1975). Ghosts in the nursery: A psychoanalytic approach to the problems of impaired infant-mother relationships. The Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 23(3), 437-465.

Lieberman, A. F., Padron, E., Van Horn, P., & Harris, W. W. (2005). Angels in the nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences. Infant Mental Health Journal, 26(6), 504-520.

This video is also h...

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss the magic of "I Wonder..."

As always you can send us your feedback and questions at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com.

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk some about the logistics of providing reflective supervision, some about work culture, and some about our own ways of replenishing.

As always reach out to us at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode:
People I Mostly Admire Episode 143

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In this episode, Natalie and I  reflect on the past year.  

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This episode is a little different. I speak with my good friend, professor, and overall one of the smartest people I know Dr. Janice Lindstrom.  She and I try to wrap our minds around the parallel process and how it is used in RSC.  

The sound quality is not great as we did not have microphones and at some points you can hear my dog barking in the background.  I hope you can get past all of that to hear the conversation.  

Please reach out to us and let us k...

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk about the Reflective Alliance from the RIOS.

You can reference information on the RIOS at CEED.unm.edu.

As always you can reach us at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com.  We'd love to hear from you!

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In this episode, Natalie and I explore the parallel process in reflective consultation and try to unlock the magic of it for you and for ourselves.

We would love to hear from you!  Please send your comments, questions, and topics for us to discuss.  You can reach me at amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com

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In this episode Natalie and I talk about the Professional Use of Self in reflective consultation.

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss the essential element of Holding the Baby in Mind.

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In this episode Natalie and I talk about how we come to understand the family story and how we think it fits into reflective consultation.  Here are a few helpful links based on things we discussed:

https://www.allianceaimh.org/reflective-supervisionconsultation

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/bronfenbrenners-ecological-model

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss the reflective alliance described in the RIOS.

This is the Widow We Do Now Podcast episode with information on tapping that Natalie described in this episode.

https://widowwedonow.com/listen/
Episode 93 | Emotional Freedom Tapping: Dr. Dawson Church  

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In this episode, we talk about getting ready to provide reflective supervision or consultation, transitions, supervision vs. consultation and some feedback from a training Natalie provided in the past.  Thanks to a listener who reached out asking for more info on providing reflective supervision. 

We talked about the Reflective Interaction Observation Scale.  You can find more about it here.

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In this episode Natalie and I take on co-regulation and self-regulation.  

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss serve and return as it relates to infant mental health.  If you are interested in the steps we discussed, use the link below.

5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

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In this episode, Natalie and I talk about how we were introduced to the enneagram, how, we use it, and what it has meant to us.  If you want to learn more you can check out these links. 

Truity
Enneagram Institute

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It is summer here and our kids are out of school which has changed our family routines.  In this episode, Natalie and I talk about routines and how they are good for babies and good for us.  We discuss how routines change with the different seasons of our lives and how we experience disruptions in routines.

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It is summer here and our kids are out of school which has changed our family routines.  In this episode, Natalie and I talk about routines and how they are good for babies and good for us.  We discuss how routines change with the different seasons of our lives and how we experience disruptions in routines.

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss the benefits of rupture in relationships and how rupture and repair are a natural part of relationships.

We talked about the Still Face Experiment with Dr. Edward Tronick; you can see it here if you haven't already or if you just want to see it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTTSXc6sARg

You can also find Harvar's Center on the Developing Child here:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/

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In this episode, Natalie and I dive into the parallel process, a foundational component of infant mental health. 

We mentioned our friend Brianna Ruelas and her idea of serving from the saucer.  You can find out more about her at www.briannaruelasmusic.com.

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Natalie and I talk about our experience at the Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health Biennial Conference.  Thank you to everyone we met and to the organizers.  I hope to be able to attend the conference again in the future.  Here's the website for more information.

Conference Website
https://site.pheedloop.com/event/miaimh2024conference/home

You can reach us at 
amy@theinfantmentalhealthpodcast.com

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In this episode Natalie and I talk about what reflective supervision is and some things it is not.  

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On today's episode, Natalie and I discuss ways of framing both reflective supervision and child development that get us away from solving problems and move us in other directions.

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For whatever reason, I put the wrong title on episode 3 initially.  I have since fixed that.  If you listened to episode 3 when the title was listed as Let's Talk about Attachment do not be confused.  This is not the same conversation as episode 3.  It is the conversation that Natalie and I actually had about attachment and how it applies to working in infant mental health for those who are not clinicians and how it applies to parenting.  As always, here are a few links to things we discussed.

26:15 - Harvard's Center for t...

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In this episode, Natalie and I reflect on a Mom in Mind Podcast Episode we listened to.   

We discuss Mom and Mind podcast episode 170:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pE939Ao8qcipVl6JG7Smm?si=43qDcp-pRMiGEcpHV1y1VQ

38:50 - Eve:  How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution
                  Cat Bohanon
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/75494215

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In this episode, Natalie and I discuss Infant Mental Health in more detail. 

Here are a few links where you can find more info on some of the things we touched on in this episode.

Definition of Infant Early Childhood Mental Health:
https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/resource/zero-to-threes-infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health-iecmh-guiding-principles/

10:10 - Harvard's Developing Child Stress Model:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/

24:02 - Dr. Ariatta Slade Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mey2iY1imyM

38:02 - Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems T...

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Hi and welcome to the Infant Mental Health Podcast.  In this episode, Natalie and I introduce ourselves and share how we arrived at the field of Infant Mental Health.