The Society for the Protection and Care of Children supports professional development and community education across child and family serving disciplines, and believes that the best learning and practice transformation occurs through authentic relationships and reflective practice. As an approved provider of Continuing Education through New York State (LMHC, LCSW/LMSW, LCAT) and as Endorsed® professionals through the New York State Association of Infant Mental Health, we provide quality training and consultation that is aligned with professional requirements.

In addition to being Western New York’s leading trainers in Infant Mental Health and Reflective Supervision/Consultation, we are specifically regarded for our training and consultation offerings in the areas of:

Trauma & Children •  Parent-Child Relationships • Supervised Visitation Practices

Therapeutic Visitation Practices • Intimate Partner Violence •  Pregnant & Parenting Teenagers 

Trauma-Informed Care & Practices

In 2019, with generous funding from The Greater Rochester Health Foundation and as part of their Healthy Futures Strategy, SPCC founded the Mary Ellen Institute, named in honor of the young child at the heart of SPCC’s formation who needed relationships with caring and skilled professionals to heal and thrive. The Institute’s mission is to increase access to evidence informed Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) training, support, consultation and supervision.  Our passion lies in advancing access to quality, relationally driven, culturally responsive, trauma informed and developmentally appropriate services across infant and young child disciplines in Monroe County, in turn improving holistic developmental outcomes for infants and young children throughout their lifespan.

We invite you to explore our offerings below, subscribe to our mailing list,

or send us an email at trainings@spcc-roch.org to learn more about scheduled trainings,

or to discuss customized training, consultation and supervision needs you have.

Infant Mental Health: Theory to Practice^©

A ten-week, multidisciplinary training on the theory and practice of Infant Mental Health. Focus on attachment and psychodynamic theoretical foundations, reflective capacity, trauma, separations and loss, assessment, intervention and the social/emotional/attachment development from ages 0-3 years. Training is both didactic and reflectively experiential.

Training sessions are typically offered twice per year, with the first session beginning in January, and the second session beginning in September. The training meetings occur for ten consecutive Wednesdays from 9:30-11am in Rochester, NY. This results in 15 hours of face to face training and includes approximately 6 hours of independent learning (e.g.: assigned readings, learning exercises) outside of meeting times. Please note that Continuing Education Credits are not available for readings and learning activities.

Reflective Supervision/Consultation Learning Collaborative^©

This Reflective Supervision/Consultation Learning Collaborative is a comprehensive, experientially based, small group training for supervisors and administrative leaders in the field of infants, young children and families. Through a balance of Reflective Learning Intensive days, monthly Reflective Supervision Groups, sharing of collective group knowledge, and ongoing support, participants will experience how to implement and provide reflective supervision within their programs while simultaneously, receiving reflective consultation themselves by qualified, experienced reflective supervisors/consultants. This learning collaborative is also designed to provide infant/early childhood program supervisors and leaders with much of the training and experience needed to pursue Infant Mental Health (IMH) Endorsement.

Through five Reflective Learning Intensive days, and seven Reflective Supervision/Consultation group experiences, this Learning Collaborative will provide a solid foundation of the theory and practice of Reflective Supervision. It will include a blend of training and reflective practice, and provide ample space for the group to combine its collective wisdom, learning from each other.
This LC will include a small amount of reading and reflective practice exercises outside of our meetings times. Please note that Reflective Supervision/Consultation group experiences, outside readings and reflective practice exercises outside of the Learning Intensive Days will not count for CE Credits.

Reflective Supervision/Consultation

The Mary Ellen Institute is honored to offer a host of Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RS/C) groups for professionals across disciplines, working with or on behalf of infants, young children, and their families. Please note that individual RS/C is also available. Contact us at trainings@spcc-roch.org with interest.

Reflective Supervision/Consultation Groups for Direct Service Professionals 

1. For staff providing clinician intervention to infants, young children and their families  

1. For staff providing promotion and/or prevention work to children and families 

Regularly scheduled RS/C groups provide a physical and emotional space for direct service staff to explore together the intricacies of their relationship-based work with children and families.  Led by a skilled and experienced Reflective Supervisor, these groups include a focus of considering multiple perspectives within and outside of the family system, holding the baby in mind, understanding the family story, parallel process, and the use of self.  

Reflective Supervision/Consultation Groups for Supervisors 

On-going groups for supervisors providing RS/C provides a physical and emotional space for supervisors to explore together the intricacies of relationally providing RS/C to direct service staff working with children and their families.  Lead by a skilled and experienced RS supervisor, the group is reflectively supported in balancing the various roles of a reflective supervisor (supporting staff development, providing space for staff to explore the meaning of their work, maintaining program standards, team functioning, and providing program leadership) within their supervisory relationship. These groups include a focus of considering multiple perspectives within and outside of the family system, the importance of relationships, holding the baby in mind, understanding the family story, parallel process, and the use of self.    

Reflective Supervision/Consultation Groups: Advocates and Policy Makers  

Ongoing groups for community professionals engaged in policy development or advocacy (including legal advocacy) on behalf of young children and their families. The group provides a physical and emotional space to explore together the intricacies of meeting infant and young children’s needs from a systemic and “numbers” standpoint, or for those who do not directly serve, supervise, or provide leadership.  Lead by a skilled Reflective Supervisor, the group is supported in balancing the knowledge of significant needs of infants and young children including the impact of poverty and trauma with the impulse to act, fix, and repair while operating with the constraints and opportunities of funding, community capacity, and energy.  

Reflective Supervision/Consultation Group: Leaders

Regularly scheduled RS groups provides a physical and emotional space for multidisciplinary upper leadership to explore together the intricacies of leading agencies working on behalf of children through the lens of relationally-focused Reflective Supervision. Lead by a skilled and experienced RS supervisor, the group is reflectively supported in considering multiple perspectives with the foundational belief that reflective leading and decision making strongly impacts the quality of service that children and their families receive.