17th IACAPAP Lunch & Learn Webinar

^{Note: This webinar has been scheduled to accommodate the time zone of the African region.}

Variations exist in the way parents care for their children. Parenting styles are informed by the social, cultural and economic context in which families live. While this is obvious and well known, much of infant mental health theory is derived from the Western world, which represents less than 10% of the world’s children. Thus, effective, and evidence-informed infant mental health practice in Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) necessitates local research into the constructs pertaining to infant mental health.  

This webinar will outline three South African research projects which investigated infant mental health concepts. The notions of sensitive mothering, the impact of mental illness on reflective functioning and the paradigm of shared pleasure will be described. It will go on to outline several locally developed and locally adapted infant mental health interventions that have been informed by this research. The integration of indigenous knowledge has further enriched these interventions. While this research was done in South Africa, the findings may well apply to other parts of the world. 

Astrid Berg MBChB (Pret), FFPsych (SA), MPhil (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) 
Astrid Berg is a Psychiatrist, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist as well as a Jungian Analyst. She is an Emerita A/Professor at the University of Cape Town and A/Professor Extraordinary at the Stellenbosch University. She developed her clinical and academic interest in infant mental health, organizing two national and one international conference, all of which contributed to the development of the field in South Africa. She is the founder of the Western Cape Association for Infant Mental Health and was for 18 years the lead consultant at the University of Cape Town’s Parent-Infant Mental Health Service. She currently consults to and teaches at Tygerberg Hospital and is co-convenor of the M Phil degree in Infant Mental Health at Stellenbosch University. She is on the Executive Committee of the World Association for Infant Mental Health and is its current President-Elect. 

Important note

1. The IACAPAP webinar will be held at different times to accommodate attendees and members from various regions. The 17th IACAPAP Lunch & Learn Webinar is scheduled to cater to the African region's time zone. 

2. The webinar is open for members of IACAPAP (Individual Members and Individuals within IACAPAP Full Member organisation and Affiliate Member organisation).  

3. This webinar will be conducted virtually via Zoom. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required in advance. Seats are limited, and it's based on a first come, first served. E-certificate of attendance will be provided to those who have attended and completed the survey at the end of the webinar. Please be advised that the survey for the webinar will be displayed in the browser ONLY after the webinar has ended.

4. For more information on IACAPAP Membership, please visit https://iacapap.org/membership/ or contact info@iacapap.org.