1) Getting Started:  Before registering to begin your endorsement application, read through the AK-AIMH Competency Guidelines to determine how your education, work experiences and professional development experiences, including reflective supervision, fit with the different types of endorsement.  It is strongly recommendedyou use the Getting Started self-study guide  to help assess your experience and determine what additional specialized training might be necessary to meet the competencies and earn IMH Endorsement (IMH-E®) prior to beginning the application process.   Contact the Endorsement Coordinator at: endorsement @akaimh.org for assistance with this step.

2) Registration:  When you know which type of endorsement you are ready to apply for, you register for endorsement through the AK-AIMH Endorsement Application System (EASy). To begin your endorsement application, go to https://easy.mi-aimh.org/akaimh and click on the "Register" button under New Applicant.  It is strongly recommended that you register using a personal email address (e.g., gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.).  Employer email servers often block messages sent by the EASy system.  Registration requires you to provide brief information about your specialized education, work, and reflective supervision/consultation experiences.  You will be asked to pay a registration fee via Stripe using a credit card.  Fees can be found in the table below. 

 Registration Fees:

  •  Infant/Early Childhood Family Associate (IFA/ECFA) - $15

  •  Infant Family Specialist (IFS/ECFS) - $15

  •  Infant Mental Health Specialist (IMHS/ECMHS) - $25

  •  Infant Mental Health Mentor (IMHM/ECMHS) - $25

 3) Logging on to EASy.  After completing your registration, you will receive a notification regarding your application's acceptance.  Notification may take up to 1 week.  Once your application has been accepted, you will receive an email from EASy with a username and password.  Go to Edit Profile to change your password or to elect to receive email notifications when references are completed, transcripts uploaded, etc.  You can log back in to complete your portfolio anywhere you have a computer with an internet connection.

4) Help with Portfolio.  AK-AIMH will assign you an endorsement advisor (an IMH-E individual) to assist with the application process.  There is an in-system Help tool and in-system messaging that allows you to ask questions to your advisor along the way.  Your advisor can provide feedback and support before submitting your Application online. 

5) Complete Portfolio.  EASy will ask you to electronically “sign” the AK-AIMH Code of Ethics and Endorsement Agreement. Complete each tab of the EASy application, including work, education, specialized in-service training, supervision, references, and transcripts.  It is advised that you provide a detailed description under each tab that thoroughly explains the information being requested. Prepare and submit (click on submit tab when ready) the completed portfolio on EASy. Please see the endorsement schedule for portfolio due dates.

You will be asked to list the names and email addresses for the 3 individuals who will complete references on your behalf.  EASy sends an email to each reference rater.  Please ask your reference raters for a personal email address so they will receive the secure link to complete the form on EASy.

Note: a completed Portfolio includes transcripts from all of the colleges/universities you have attended, the application fee, and ratings from three references.

6) Submit Portfolio: You can use the Checklist for AK-AIMH EASy Endorsement ® Application Process to make sure you have completed all of the steps and included all of the information required for the portfolio. Once you have completed your portfolio, you will be asked to submit an Endorsement Processing fee which you can pay with a credit card via Stripe.

  Endorsement Processing Fees:

  • Infant/Early Childhood Family Associate (IFA/ECFA) - $25

  • Infant/Early Childhood Family Specialist (IFS/ECFS) ) - $100

  • Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist ( IMHS/ECMHS)- $200

  • Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor (IMHM/ECMHM) - $300

7) Portfolio Review.  Your completed portfolio will be assigned to two endorsed team members for review.  This process takes approximately six weeks.

8) Endorsement Decision.  If you have applied for IFA/ECFA or IFS/ECFS, a decision will be made whether your portfolio meets the criteria for the category for which you applied. Your application will either be Endorsed or Deferred.  You will be notified of your endorsement decision via email and/or phone. 

9) Portfolio Feedback.  Feedback regarding your portfolio will be mailed along with the Endorsement Certificate if your portfolio is Endorsed.

10)  Follow up for Deferred Applicants.  Next steps for deferred applicants will vary depending on the criteria that have not been met.  If your portfolio is deferred, the Endorsement Coordinator will work closely with you to develop a plan to address the criteria that were not met.

IMHS/ECMHS and IMHM/ECMHM

8) Portfolio Decision.  If you have applied for IMHS/ECMHS and IMHM/ECMHM a decision will be made on whether your portfolio meets the criteria for the category for which you applied. Your application will be either Approved (for taking the exam) or Deferred.  You will be notified of your endorsement decision via email and/or phone.

9) Follow-up for Deferred Applicants. Next steps for deferred applicants will vary depending on the criteria that has not been met. If your portfolio is deferred, the Endorsement Coordinator will work closely with you to develop a plan to address the criteria that was not met.

10)  Exam Preparation. If your portfolio is approved, you will take a three-hour exam. Approximately five weeks are between the time you are notified of the approval and the exam date. This exam includes a multiple-choice portion and an essay portion where a candidate has a chance to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and experience in response to vignettes. Review the suggested exam preparation materials. 

11)  Taking the Exam. The Endorsement Coordinator will be in contact with you regarding exam procedures if your portfolio is approved. Please see the endorsement schedule for exam dates. 

12)  Exam Review. An assigned endorsement review team then reviews your exam.  Please note that complete confidentiality is kept during the review process, and the exam reviewers are “blind” to the candidate’s name. This process takes approximately five weeks.

13)  Endorsement Decision. Based on the results of your multiple choice and essay scores, a decision will be made whether your application is Endorsed or Deferred to Retake the Exam. Candidates will be notified of the endorsement decision by phone and/or e-mail.

14)  Portfolio & Exam Feedback. Feedback regarding your portfolio and your responses to the vignettes will be mailed to you along with the Endorsement Certificate if your portfolio is Endorsed.

15)  Follow-up for Applicants Deferred to Retake the Exam. Applicants who did not receive passing scores on the either one or both sections of the exam will have to retake the exam. It is required that at least 1 year pass before applicants can retake the exam to help them prepare. Applicants only have to retake the section(s) of the exam that they did not pass.