Social Work Offering Free Infant Mental Health Training Sessions Via Zoom in March, April

February 14, 2025

Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Department of Social Work is continuing its partnership with Haruv USA to provide a free infant mental health training series. This training series will include a two-part session presenting “Attachment Style and Its Influence on Children” first and “Foundations of Infant Mental Health: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment in Practice” second.

Lucy Shirisia, a professor at Utah Valley University, will present the first session of the series via Zoom on March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m.

“This training will focus on the importance of creating a secure attachment with your child and its long-term effects, techniques in healing insecure attachment styles and practicing secure attachment style,” Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the department of social work, social work program director and professor of social work, said.

Shirisia has taught for 10 years and is now earning a second graduate degree, a Ph.D. in health psychology. Her research and expertise are on Attachment Theory. Shirisia has worked as a caseworker for low-income families and was a foster care consultant. She has taught in early education schools and is a board member and co-chair of the conference committee of National Social Science Association (NSSA).

The second session will be presented by Tara Glenn, LCSW, IMH-E®, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker via Zoom on April 30 from 1 to 4 p.m.

This session will provide an interactive three-hour training to expand and strengthen participants’ understanding of the foundational principles of infant mental health, providing a comprehensive overview of assessment, diagnosis and treatment for young children and their families. Participants will explore the core concepts of reflective consultation and essential clinical skills needed to work effectively in this field.

“Through guided case study, attendees will gain practical insights into real-world applications, learning how to integrate these elements into their work with young children and caregivers,” Rehder said. “This training emphasizes the importance of attachment, trauma-informed care and cultural responsiveness in promoting healthy emotional and relational development during the critical early years.”

Glenn is an endorsed infant mental health clinician by the Oklahoma Association of Infant Mental Health. Her work has focused on treating childhood sexual abuse and trauma, treating families with infants/young children who have experienced scary and confusing things or have experienced attachment disruptions and serving adults with complex trauma histories.

Glenn is an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained therapist as well as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Circle of Security. She believes everyone is created for connection and with a purpose and wants to serve people so that any barriers to that fulfillment can be diminished.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Haruv USA and offer training that supports the work in the field of infant and early childhood mental health,” Rehder said. “We encourage students and helping professionals from all disciplines to join us for an exciting afternoon of learning.”

She added that this training is ideal for teachers, social workers, child welfare specialists, counselors and those in the medical field. Haruv USA is an international training institute that provides interprofessional education and training for professionals and students from many settings in the field of child maltreatment. Haruv USA’s innovative programs equip professionals working with abused and neglected children with up-to-date theoretical and empirical knowledge to meet their needs.

Registration for the training is free, and CEUs are available for social work and LPC professionals. To register for this event, visit https://haruv-usa.org/events/infant-mental-health-virtual-series/.

For more information on the training, contact Rehder at kdrehder@nwosu.edu or DeJon Knapp, LCSW, Haruv USA Director at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work OU-Tulsa, at dejon@ou.edu. To learn more about the social work department at Northwestern, visit www.nwosu.edu/school-of-arts-and-sciences/social-work.

-NW-