Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

A foundational developmental period that shapes a child’s capacity for resilience.

The Perinatal and Infant specialisation develops capacity to apply evidence-based knowledge and advanced skills to work with infants, parents and their families.

This interdisciplinary field focuses on the health and development of parents and infants from the planning of conception through to three years postpartum. It is a significant life stage and foundational development period that shapes parent functioning and a child’s capacity for resilience, learning, health and wellbeing throughout life.

Keeping diversity in mind, this specialisation takes a relationship-focused approach to assessment, formulation and intervention. Learning experiences include work-integrated learning and in vivo observations of infant-parent interaction supported by reflective practice and group discussion.

The Graduate Certificate is now offered in short 50 hour units. This includes KNOWLEDGE units (units with a ‘K’ in the code) that are self-directed, independent learning units. These units can be completed at your own pace over any period of time across two teaching periods. FOUNDATION units are available only in one teaching period and those Foundation units that are specialised are only available this semester. The short 50 hour units are offered in each semester over three teaching periods of five weeks each. This allows you to better manage your study load by selecting the teaching periods and study load you prefer. NEW STUDENTS and CONTINUING STUDENTS can download the suggested sequence of study for the upcoming semester through the download buttons below.