Professional Development Resource Library

Produced in partnership with

This resource was developed and is maintained in partnership with the Montefiore Medical Center’s HealthySteps Program. Please note that the HS National Office and Montefiore Medical Center are not responsible for the content within these resources.

External Resources

Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth
Diversity Science offers several e-learning courses on effective and feasible strategies for ensuring culturally responsive, high-quality, bias-free patient care in an increasingly diverse world. The pregnancy course is free on the HS LEARN page (link above), and the full course catalog is available on the their website.
Website • Diversity Science • Competency 1-K6, 1-S1, 3, & 5 • $

Early Childhood Integrated Behavioral Health: A Promoter of Equity in Pediatric Care
Journal article on how HS promotes equity.
Journal • Society of Pediatric Psychology • Competency 1-S13 • FREE

Place Matters
Place Matters examines how the built and natural environments, and the systemic factors that shape them, interact with each other and with a child’s social environment in deeply interconnected ways. It explains in clear language how these environmental influences shape development and lifelong health, while also highlighting the role that current and historic public policies have played, along with systemic racism, in creating a landscape where levels of exposure to risk and access to opportunity are not distributed equally.
Multiple Resources • Harvard Center on the Developing Child • FREE

Words Matter: AAP Guidance on Inclusive, Anti-biased Language
Guidance from the AAP on anti-biased language.
Website • AAP • Competency 1-S3 & 10 • FREE

HealthySteps/ZERO TO THREE Resources

From Tiny to Toddler
Developed by the HS National Office, this 12-module course guides HS Specialists through pediatric well-baby checkups, reviewing pertinent information on development, anticipatory guidance, and positive parenting to support HS Specialists in conducting team-based well-child visits.
eLearning • HealthySteps • Competency 2K-1 • FREE

ZERO TO THREE Temperament Resources
Intensity of Reaction 
Children Who Are Shy or Slow to Warm Up 
Tips on Temperament
Strategies to Help Children Meet New People
This series of 4 articles describes the concept of temperament and guidance for how caregivers can support their children accordingly.
Articles • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 2-K8, 3-S9 • FREE

External Resources

16 Gestures by 16 Months
The 16 by 16 series is designed to help families and others learn the critical social communication skills that children should reach by 16 months in order to launch language learning, literacy, and much more by 24 months. This foundational handout and the accompanying website inform both caregivers and professionals about essential skills in social communication and early signs of autism. Website • First Words Project • Competency 2-K1 • FREE

Addressing Early Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Problems
Technical report on treatment options for mental health concerns in early childhood.
Journal • AAP • Competencies 2-K1, 2-K4, 2-S1 • FREE

Autism Navigator
This website offers resources for both professionals and caregivers about how to identify autism risk in young children. They have many free resources as well as some paid offerings.
Website • Autism Navigator • Competency 2K-4, 2S-4 • FREE

Brain Story Certification
The University of Oxford, in partnership with the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, is working to share knowledge about the science of brain development with families and professionals. This information is important for everybody to understand how our earliest experiences can affect our long-term mental and physical health.
Lifelong health is determined by more than just our genes: experiences at sensitive periods of development change the brain in ways that increase or decrease risk for later physical and mental illness, including addiction. That finding is the premise of the Brain Story, which puts scientific concepts into a narrative that is salient to both expert and non-expert audiences. The Brain Story synthesizes decades of research and reflects a body of knowledge that experts agree is useful for policy-makers and citizens to understand.
The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) has developed an online course to make Brain Story science available to professionals and the public. Brain Story Certification is designed for those seeking a deeper understanding of brain development and its consequences for lifelong health.
eLearning • Alberta Family Wellness Initiative • Competency 2-K5 • FREE

Early Childhood Health and Development
Check out the AAP’s wealth of resources related to early childhood. You can find links to information on a wide variety of topics including the power of play, early literacy, safe environments, developmental surveillance and screening, maternal mental health and more.
Website • AAP • Competency – broad range • FREE

Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Comprehensive review of autism spectrum disorder.
Journal • American Academy of Pediatrics • Competency 2-K1, 6-S2 • FREE

Keystones Curriculum
Guide to well-baby checkups and early childhood social/emotional development. This course was developed for pediatric residents but is ideal for HS Specialists as well. eLearning • Mt. Sinai Parenting Center • Competency 2-K1 • free for HS Network*
*access it for free by clicking “My Program Has a Token” and entering the code: ZTT-HSS-2019

Learn the Signs. Act Early.
This website works to improve the early identification of developmental delays and disabilities, including autism, by facilitating parent-engaged developmental monitoring and promoting developmental screening. The program has three components: Health Education Campaign, Act Early Initiative, and Research and Evaluation.
Website • Centers for Disease Control • Competency 2-K1 • FREE

Recognizing Early Motor Delays
Website with specific developmental milestone resources and more. Appropriate for HS Specialists and caregivers as well.
Website • Pathways • Competency 2K-1 • FREE

Brazelton Touchpoints Center
The Touchpoints Center is dedicated to supporting parents through providers who are responsive to parents, knowledgable about child development, and eager to see every parent succeed. Website • Brazelton Touchpoints Center • Competency 2-K1 • FREE

Harvard Center on the Developing Child
A website covering key concepts in early childhood development including but not limited to: brain architecture, serve and return, toxic stress, lifelong health and well-being, timing and critical periods, and developmental environments. Resources include articles, infographics, videos, webinars, toolkits, etc. Website • Harvard University • FREE

NOTE: This website has many resources also relevant to Areas 1, 3, and 4.

Touchpoints – Birth to Three / Touchpoints 3 – 6
Birth to Three: Revised in 2006, Dr. Brazelton introduces information on physical, emotional, and behavioral development.This updated volume also offers insights on prematurity, sleep patterns, early communication, toilet training, co-sleeping, play and learning, SIDS, cognitive development and signs of developmental delay, childcare, asthma, a child’s immune system, and safety. 3-6: Through profiles of 4 children, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Dr. Joshua D. Sparrow apply the Touchpoints Theory to each of the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional leaps that occur from ages three to six. They touch upon sibling rivalry, bedwetting, tantrums, and more. Books • Brazelton Touchpoints Center • $

HealthySteps/ZERO TO THREE Resources

Babies, Toddlers, and Sleep
These two 1-hr webinars are discussions with pediatric sleep specialists (MDs) specifically about how HS Specialists can support caregivers regarding sleep.
Webinar • HealthySteps • Competency 3-K8 • FREE

Focus on Feeding in Pediatrics: Promotion, Problems, and Positive Practices
Five-session overview of feeding, 25-120 min per session.
Symposium • ZERO TO THREE/HealthySteps  • Competency 3-K8, 3-S5 • FREE

The Expectation Gap, Tuning In: National Parent Survey
ZERO TO THREE’s national parent survey revealed that a majority of parents believe children start developing self-control early in life and much earlier than brain science indicates is possible. The disconnect between what many parents believe and the realistic ability of children to master self-control results in an important expectation gap that can cause significant frustration and stress for both parents and children.

This webpage provides a range of resources to help parents understand what to expect and how to nurture the development of self-control in their young children.
Website • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 3-S10 • FREE

External Resources

2 Month-5 Early Relational Health Developmental Milestone Timeline
Developmental milestones specifically for early relational health.
Website • AAP • Competency 2-K1, 2-K9 and 10, 2-S1, 4 & 6 • FREE

Baby Sleep
Support for caregivers in navigating baby/toddlers sleep challenges. Appropriate for providers and caregivers as well. Content available in 17 languages!
Website • Pediatric Sleep Council • Competency 3-K8 • FREE

Brief ERH Interventions for Providers
Videos for pediatric primary care providers offering concrete guidance on working with caregivers on Early Relational Health topics. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the “Brief Interventions for Providers” section, where you can access the flyer and four videos. Video • AAP • FREE

Early Relational Health in Practice
Short videos for primary care providers focusing on promoting early relational health in practice.
eLearning • AAP • Competency 3-K1 & 3, 3-S8, & 4-K7 • FREE

Healthy Children
Website created by the AAP with information for caregivers.
Website • AAP • Competency 3-K6, 3-K9 • FREE

Perinatal Mental Health: Culturally Informed Approaches to Screening, Assessment And Treatment
Two-part pre-recorded webinar; CE available.
Webinar • Postpartum Support International (PSI) • FREE

Rupture and Repair: Emotions, Attunement, and Attachment
Brief introduction to the concepts of attunement and attachment.
Book • Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc. • Competency 3-K5, FREE

Selecting Appropriate Toys for Young Children in the Digital Era
Clinical Report with guidance for caregivers on encouraging early relational health and development through play.
Article • AAP • Competency 2-K10, 2-S7 • FREE

Still Face Experiment – Dr. Edward Tronick
Video and discussion of Tronick’s foundational work in contingent responsiveness from caregivers with profound implications for attachment theory.
Video • Child Development Unit, Harvard University • Competency 2-K9, 3-K5 • FREE

The Tantrum Survival Guide: Tune in to your toddler’s mind (and your own) to calm the craziness and make family fun again
Focus on connection and caregiver self-regulation; offers concrete recommendations and fun to read.
Book • Rebecca Schrag Hershberg • Competency 3-K6, 9, 3-S10 • $

HealthySteps/ZERO TO THREE Resources

Elevating Parent Voice in the Conversation of Perinatal Substance Use
Webinar centers the discussion on addressing perinatal substance use disorder as a public health issue while challenging the historical system response that has often been stigmatizing, shaming, and punitive.
Webinar • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 4-K9 • FREE

Perinatal Depression: More than the Baby Blues
Introduction to perinatal depression including common signs and treatments.
Article • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 4-K10, 4-S13 • FREE

Let’s Talk about Intimate Partner Violence
A webinar that focuses on a broad-brush review of the basics of intimate partner violence in the context of your role and practice.
Webinar • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 4-K12, 4-S15 • FREE

Supporting Families Affected by Domestic Violence
This webinar provides a foundation for understanding and responding to families affected by domestic violence in the context of the Infant-Toddler Court Team Program.
practice.
Webinar • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 4-K12, 4-S15 • FREE

What Does Trauma Do To a Baby’s Brain?
Brief overview of the role on trauma on infant brain development.
Article • ZERO TO THREE • Competency2-K13 • FREE

External Resources

Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence: Impacts and Interventions
The article provides an evidence-based overview regarding children’s exposure to intimate partner violence, including epidemiology, risks, consequences, assessment and interventions to identify and prevent both initial exposure and impairment after exposure. It concludes with specific guidance for the clinician.
Article • Paediatr Child Health • Competency 4-K12, 4-S15 • FREE

Don’t Hit My Mommy! A Manual for Child-Parent Psychotherapy With Young Children Exposed to Violence and Other Trauma
Book about child-parent psychotherapy to learn about and treat trauma in dyads.
Book • Alicia Lieberman • Competency 3-K9, 4-K7 • $

Families Affected by Parental Substance Use
AAP Clinical Report on caregier substance misuse.
Journal • AAP • Competency 4-S13, 4-K9 & 10 • FREE

Ghosts in the Nursery / Angels in the Nursery
In 1975, Selma Fraiberg introduced the metaphor of “ghosts in the nursery” with this seminal article. The concept refers to the relationship between a parent’s early traumatic experiences of the way they were raised and their own parenting style. The “ghosts” can reappear throughout generations, contributing to cycles of abuse. In 2005, Alicia Lieberman and colleagues presented the concept of “angels in the nursery” reflecting on how early experiences characterized by positive, loving relationships with caregivers provide the child with a sense of security, self-worth, and resilience which becomes protective and can interrupt a cycle of abuse.  These two seminal articles are highly recommended reading for HS Specialists and are appropriate for caregivers as well.
Journal • Selma Fraiberg/Alicia Lieberman •  Competency 4-K7, 4-S10, 4-K2 • FREE

Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice
Best practice for screening and addressing perinatal depression in primary care pediatrics.
Journal • AAP • Competency 3-S11, 4-K9, 4-K10, 4-S13, 4-S14 • FREE

Intimate Partner Violence: Role of the Pediatrician
AAP Clinical Report on Intimate Partner Violence and its affects on children.
Journal • AAP • Competency 4-K12, 4-S15 • FREE

Maternal Mental Health Now
Multiple courses for primary care providers, practice staff, and HS Specialists on addressing postpartum depression (including screening guidance and interventions with caregivers).
eLearning • Maternal Mental Health Now • Competency 3-K10, 3-K12, 3-S11, 4-K10, 4-K11, 4-S13 • $ 

Perinatal and Early Childhood Mental Health Network Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC)
The Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) provides specialized training covering a myriad of topics for professionals who work with young children to promote positive mental health in the early years. Although TTAC is an organization funded by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, their trainings are available to all professionals. Use the search function to find specific training topics.
Website • Perinatal and Early Childhood Mental Health Network Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) • FREE

NOTE: This website has many trainings also relevant to Areas 1, 3, 8, Reflective Practice and Skill Building.

Perinatal Mental Health
Provides educational and support services addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMADS).
Website • Postpartum International • Competency 3-S11 • FREE

Perinatal Mental Health Training Database
Searchable database for professionals seeking perinatal mental health training.
Website • Maternal Meantl Health Leadership Alliance • 4-K10, 4-S13 • Courses range from FREE – $ 

Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering with Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health
AAP policy statement on toxic stress.
Journal • AAP • Competencies 6-S2, 2-K13, 4-S10 • FREE

Trauma-Informed Care
Clinical report on infusing a trauma-informed lens on primary care pediatrics.
Journal • AAP • Competency 1-K5, 2-K13, 2-S9, 3-K9, 4-K7, 4-S10 • FREE

The State of Evidence-based Parenting Interventions for Parents who are Substance-involved
Review of evidenced-based treatments of attachment-based interventions with parents who are substance-involved.
Article • Pediatric Research • Competency 4-K10 • FREE

External Resources

Breaking down Silos with a Butter Knife: Lessons Learned from Integrated Pediatric Behavioral Health
The Montefiore team describes program components, lessons learned, a clinical case, and evaluation results from their initial years of integrated behavioral health in pediatrics.
Journal • Briggs, German, and Schrag  • Competency 5-K5, 6, 8 • FREE. Available on request via [email protected]

Integrating Early Childhood Behavioral Health in Primary Care
Includes multiple book chapters on HS including “Integrated Early Childhood Behavioral Health in Primary Care” and “Stories from the Exam Room.”
Book  • Springer Publishing • $$ – Available via Springer (including purchase of individual chapters) and Amazon

External Resources

Help Me Grow
Help Me Grow is a system of support for pregnant women, caregivers with new babies, and families with young children with developmental delays and disabilities.
Website • Help Me Grow • FREE

Trauma-Informed Care in Child Health Systems
AAP policy statement and overview of trauma-informed care.
Journal • AAP • Competency 1-K5, 4-K7, 4-S10, 6-K3 • FREE

HealthySteps/ZERO TO THREE Resources

A Practical Guide to Reflective Supervision
Reflective supervision is hard and it’s an even greater challenge when the same supervisor must provide both reflective and administrative supervision. The authors include a unique focus on this blended model of supervision. Reflective Supervision and Leadership in Infant and Early Childhood Programs illustrates the foundations and frameworks of reflective practice and outlines ways to support reflective supervision in a wide variety of work settings. Other highlights of the book are: A discussion of the roles of the reflective supervisor; knowledge and skills needed for reflective supervision; tips for providing group reflective supervision & vignettes outlining common supervisory dilemmas.
Book • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 8C/K • 

Reflective Practice and Reflective Supervision
This webinar (and additional resources) explore how reflective supervision supports staff who then support families – to create a more effective working relationship.
Webinar • ZERO TO THREE • Competency 8C/K • $

Reflective Supervision Collaborative and other resources
The Reflective Supervision for the Whole Job is a holistic, trauma-informed, long-term learning approach developed by the Reflective Supervision Collaborative. Reflective Supervision is increasingly used and frequently required in programs serving families with infants and young children to foster critical awareness of self and others, promote high-quality services, and reduce burnout and secondary traumaticization among service providers. By reconceptualizing reflective supervision for infant and early childhood programs, we have created an approach that focuses on all of the potential roles of a reflective supervisor, leader or change agent and have included approaches to enhance and address programs, institutions, and systems in which the practice is embedded.

Live In-Person Training • Southwest Human Development • Competency 8C/K • $ (scholarships available)

HealthySteps/ZERO TO THREE Resources

Mindfulness For HS Specialists
There are two modules in this eLearning course. The first provides an overview of adding mindfulness in a pediatric health care setting and the second explores how HS Specialists can utilize mindfulness techniques with the children and families they work with.
eLearning • HealthySteps • FREE

External Resources

Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health
AIMH is a global organization developed to support professionals who serve infants, young children, and their caregivers, starting with the prenatal period. AIMH offers both live and recorded trainings in their Training Hub. In addition, this website provides guidance on pathways towards multi-level IECMH-E endorsements.
Website • Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health 

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Relationship Foundation for Lifelong Health
This course, designed for primary care pediatric providers, aims to increase learner knowledge and confidence in building strong relationships with families and skills to help families be attuned to their young children in order to better address social-emotional/mental health concerns. Faciliating Attunded Interactions (FAN).
eLearning • American Academy of Pediatrics • Competency 4-K5, 4-S8, 5-S5, 5-S6 • FREE (use code SAVE5)

External Resources

Certification in Perinatal Mental Health
The Perinatal Mental Health Certification Program creates a structure for professional education and evaluation, and a standardization of training and experience to inform families and payers of perinatal mental health specialists. Upon successful completion of the certification program requirements, including passing the PSI PMH-C exam, the candidates earn the certification in perinatal mental health and are eligible to use the credential PMH-C.
Training • Postpartum Support International •  Competency 3-S11 • $

Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator
Research-based reflective model to guide caregivers on connecting with their children contingently; “training providers with many different backgrounds and from many different disciplines to help caregivers connect with the children in their lives.”
Live Virtual Training • Circle Of Security International •  Competency 3S-6, 3-S7 • $

Parent-Child Care (PC-CARE)
Parent-Child Care (PC-CARE) is a six-session dyadic treatment program for families that are interested in improving caregiver-child relationships and are willing to learn new child behavior management strategies. It serves families with children ages 1 to 10 years. A wide range of caregivers can participate, including biological parents, foster and kin caregivers, and adoptive caregivers. PC-CARE can be provided by mental health clinicians as a mental health intervention, and paraprofessionals as a prevention service.
Live Virtual Training • UC Davis • Competency 3-K6, 9, 3-S10 • FREE until 2027, then $

PCIT Webcourse, UC Davis
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Training – this e-learning course is an introduction to PCIT principles through 11 modules (10 hours).
eLearning • PCIT UC Davis • Competency 3-K9 • FREE

Lactation Counselor Training
The Center for Breastfeeding’s Lactation Counselor Training Course
Live In-Person Training • Center for Breastfeeding • Competency 3-K8 • $

Period of PURPLE Crying
Website dedicated to Period of PURPLE Crying® with education and materials for providers and caregivers.
eLearning • Natl. Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome • Competency 3-K8 • FREE

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program
Training courses for both providers and parents. Triple P goffers simple and practical strategies to help caregivers build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behavior and prevent problems developing. Triple P is used in more 30 countries and has been shown to work across cultures, socio-economic groups and in many different kinds of family structures.
Live Virtual Training • Triple P International • Competency 3-K6, 3-S5 • $

Training in Post Partum Parenting
PREPP: Practical Resources for Effective Postpartum Parenting is a dyadically-oriented protocol for the prevention of postpartum depression. It uses targeted psychotherapy and infant behavior interventions in a brief and accessible model in conjunction with routine perinatal medical visits.
Live Virtual Training • Perinatal Pathways – The Lab of Dr. Catherine Monk at Columbia University Irving Medical Center • Competency 3-S11, 3-K12 • $ (inquire)