Title: Endorsement Exam Informational Session
Date: October 22nd, 2024
Time: 2pm CST/ 3pm EST
Presenters: Jenn Drake-Croft, MSSW, IMH-E®
Description:
Have you ever considered applying for the Mental Health Specialist or Mental Health Mentor pathways to Endorsement and wondered if it was for you? Have you talked yourself out of applying because there is an exam requirement? AIMHiTN wants to answer your questions about these Endorsement pathways. Our hope is to provide you with as much support as possible for you to be successful on the exam. So, please join us for an information and discussion session led by Jenn Drake-Croft.
Biography:
Jennifer Drake-Croft, MSSW, IMH-E®, is the Project Director of the Infant and Early Childhood (IECMH) Technical Assistance Center at Georgetown University and a Faculty Director for the Georgetown Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Certificate Program. Sitting on multiple state and national committees, Jennifer has helped lead and shape macro-level initiatives and policies to promote healthy child development, advance Infant and Early Childhood (IECMH) practices, prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and support resilient communities. Jennifer currently oversees the strategy and operations of the IECMH Technical Assistance Center which supports 48 SAMHSA-funded grantees across the United States in their efforts to advance policies, programs, and practices for very young children. Jennifer was a founding member of All Children Excel (ACE) Nashville, a 400-member collective impact initiative seeking to reduce ACEs and promote resilience at the population level using a public health approach. Jennifer led the development of the Building Strong Brains Tennessee “training for trainers” curriculum focused on brain development, ACEs, and strategies to foster resilience. To date, over 1,200 diverse-sector individuals have become Building Strong Brains trainers across Tennessee. These trainers have presented to more than 80,000 individuals. In addition to her current work at Georgetown University, Jennifer provides Reflective Supervision/Consultation to the Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMHiTN) staff, supports IECMH Endorsement® as the AIMHiTN Exam Handler, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tennessee's College of Social Work Masters Program. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Berry College, a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, received Endorsement® as both an Infant Mental Health Mentor and an Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor in Policy, and has expertise in child development, child trauma, and child abuse prevention. Jennifer was a member of the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Class, received the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Award for the Government and Public Affairs Category, and was named one of the University of Tennessee’s “40 under 40” in 2021. Jennifer’s personal and professional passion is to partner with communities and systems in advancing policies and practices which support all children to thrive.