The request to establish a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Mental Health

Date: February 11, 2016
To: College of Education

To: College of Health and Human Services
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: January 18, 2016
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Spring 2016

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

  1. Admission Requirements

The Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) certificate program welcomes professionals with a completed undergraduate or graduate degree in a human services field, including: counseling, education, early childhood special education, pediatrics, allied health services (i.e., occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology), psychology, and social work. Individuals who are currently enrolled in a human service-related graduate degree program at UNC Charlotte are also welcome to apply to the ECMH certificate program.

General Requirements for Admission to the Graduate School

For all graduate degree and certificate programs, the Graduate School requires a completed online application. The application can be found at http://gradadmissions.uncc.edu/apply-now. An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution is also required. Students interested in the ECMH Graduate Certificate only are not required to take the GRE or MAT. Certificate students who later wish to apply to the MSW or M.Ed. programs must follow all admissions requirements for those programs, including entrance examinations. Successful completion of courses in the ECMH certificate program does not guarantee admission to any other UNC Charlotte graduate program.

Admission Requirements for the Graduate Certificate in ECMH

If certificate applicants are not already enrolled in graduate courses at UNC Charlotte, they must first complete the graduate school applications and be accepted by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School. In addition to Graduate School requirements, admission to the Graduate

Certificate in ECMH requires the following:

  1. A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0
  2. Three recommendations from persons knowledgeable about the applicant’s interaction skills with children and families in a professional context
  3. A 2-3 page statement of purpose

Notes:

If a certificate-only student would like to apply for admission to either the MSW or M.Ed. program, the student must complete an additional graduate application. Students can begin the ECMH certificate program in either Fall or Spring semester or a Summer Session.

If an ECMH Graduate Certificate student is accepted into a master’s degree program, courses completed in the Graduate Certificate program may be applied toward the MSW program in Social Work or the M.Ed. program in Child and Family Studies at the discretion of the Graduate Program Director of the program to which the student applies and in compliance with existing university policy.

If a certificate student is later accepted into either the MSW or M.Ed. program at UNC Charlotte, all courses for the degree must be completed within six years of initial enrollment. All courses for the ECMH Graduate Certificate only must be completed within four years from initial enrollment in the certificate program.

Credits earned in one certificate program may not be used to satisfy the requirements of a second certificate program.

Additional information on admission to the certificate program can be directed to the ECMH Certificate Director, Dr. Robert Herman-Smith in the School of Social Work, at bherman@charlotte.edu or 704-687-7180.

The Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Certificate is an interdisciplinary post-baccalaureate certificate program that addresses the increasing need for mental health services for children birth to five years of age. There is growing interest in infant and early childhood mental health; however, young children are rarely the focus of graduate training programs. Whereas mental health work with older children emphasizes increased personal choice-making and negotiation skills, mental health work with younger children is focused on the quality of the child’s relationships, resources, and social environment. Consequently, parents and other caretakers are a much more integral part of prevention and intervention efforts for young children. Graduates of the EMCH Certificate program will be able to:

  • Promote awareness about the importance of early childhood mental health
  • Work with diverse families with young children
  • Identify evidence-informed services for young children and their families
  • Recognize, refer, and perform ecologically valid mental health assessments of young children
  • Explain the relationships between social, cognitive, and communication development in young children
  • Support positive, relationship-focused communication between young children and their caretakers
  • Facilitate positive social-communication skills between young children and their caretakers in a variety of settings

The ECMH certificate is sponsored jointly by UNC Charlotte’s School of Social Work and Department of Special Education and Child Development. The certificate program requires a minimum of 15 graduate credit hours, including four core courses (12 graduate hours) and one elective course (3 graduate hours). Courses are typically available in the evening hours, but this can vary by semester. Courses required for the ECMH certificate program can be taken in any order. Course pre-requisites and co-requisites for CHFD 6240, SPED 6242, and SOWK 7127 are waived for students completing the ECMH Graduate Certificate only. Permission of the ECMH Certificate Director will be required for enrollment in courses with pre-requisites.

Four Core Courses (12 graduate hours)

SOWK 6171 Early Childhood Mental Health (3)

CHFD 6240 Advanced Studies in Infant and Child Development (3)

SPED 6242 Enhancing Communication and Supporting Behavior in Inclusive Settings (3)

SOWK 7127 Advanced Social Work Practice with Families (3)

Elective Course (3 graduate hours)

The remaining course for the certificate is chosen by the student from the following:

SPED 5112 Authentic Approaches to the Assessment of Young Children with Disabilities: Birth-Kindergarten (3)

CHFD 6220 Family Theories and Research (3)

SPED 6350 Young Children w/ Disabilities and their Families: Interdisciplinary Collaboration (3)