W31-E Webinar: Infant and Early Mental Health in an Indigenous Context

Presenters: Jo-Anne Robertson and Donna Hill

This webinar will provide a brief overview of infant and early mental health both from a Western and Indigenous perspective as well as the program Nurturing the Seed using developmental support planning. Nurturing the Seed was created to support the development of infants and young First Nations children in the context of their primary relationships and communities. Time will be provided for questions and discussion. By the end of the webinar participants will:

• Using a Western lens, identify the 3 components of infant mental health
• Understand the science behind infant mental health
• Using an Indigenous lens, provide an example of a child development model
• Describe how Nurturing the Seed promotes development in a culturally competent way
• Find further training and resources



Donna Hill,
Coordinator, Communications and Events
Infant Mental Health Promotion, SickKids, Toronto, Ontario

Donna Hill has been working with Infant Mental Health Promotion for almost 15 years, organizing and learning from the wide range of education events that have been hosted. Her focus at IMHP is in developing content, managing the IMHPromotion.ca website, and coordinating education events. Donna is of Six Nations Mohawk background, and has been a key team member in the development of the Nurturing the Seed resource. A constant learner, she is currently pursuing further education in psychology and Indigenous cultural safety.


Jo-Anne Robertson, MPH
Program Manager
Infant Mental Health Promotion, SickKids, Toronto, Ontario

Jo-Anne Robertson has a background in child development and public health. After a presentation by infant psychiatry at SickKids, she was a convert to infant mental health and completed the Infant Mental Health certificate program. Jo-Anne has worked in a variety of community settings with children 0-6 years and their families. Her interests and areas of learning include: equity and access, hospitalized infants and young children, and culturally competent practice working with Indigenous partners/communities.