Utah Association for
Infant Mental Health
UAIMH Conference 2026: The Magic of Everyday Interactions
Have you ever felt the magic of an everyday moment with a young child? These simple moments can foster development – in children and adults – and even be transformative. In 2026, UAIMH’s annual conference will focus on how we can nurture these day-to-day moments and utilize them optimally in our professional settings.
“The Magic of Everyday Interactions: Small Connections Make a Big Impact” will feature two nationally recognized Keynote speakers: Dr. Junlei Li and Alyssa Blask Campbell. Each will focus on how to notice and optimize everyday interactions for the benefit of infants, young children, and their caregivers. Each Keynote presentation will be followed by a presentation by Dr. Ilse DeKoeyer, who will connect the conference theme to reflective practice (RP), highlighting how reflective capacity develops in everyday moments and how RP can help us optimize these moments.
Meet the Presenters
Alyssa Blask Campbell, M.Ed., is the CEO and founder of Seed & Sew and a globally recognized expert in emotional development. She co-created and researched the Collaborative Emotion Processing (CEP) method, transforming how adults support children's emotions. Her bestselling book, Tiny Humans, Big Emotions, shares this research, and her second book, Big Kids, Bigger Feelings, is publishing with HarperCollins in 2025. Alyssa hosts the Voices of Your Village podcast and created a professional development program for early childhood educators with unlimited, free coaching support from experts in education. She speaks worldwide for organizations like UNESCO and has been featured in The Washington Post, CNBC, and Vermont Public.
Junlei Li, Ph.D. is the Program Chair of the Human Development and Education and the Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a developmental psychologist, his research and practice focus on supporting the helpers – those who serve children and families on the frontlines of education and social services. Studying orphanages, child care, schools, youth programs, he co-develops the “Simple Interactions” approach (www.simpleinteractions.org) to help affirm what ordinary people do extraordinarily well with children in everyday moments. His work is significantly inspired by the pioneering work of Fred Rogers when he served as the Co-Director and Rita M. McGinley Chair for Early Learning and Children’s Media at the Fred Rogers Center.
Dr. Ilse DeKoeyer is Early Relational Health Specialist and Parent Liaison at Help Me Grow Utah (out of United Way of Utah County). With over 20 years of experience teaching Infant Development and other Psychology courses at the University of Utah, she currently leads the Capstone class for the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program, at the Department of Family and Consumer Studies (FCS). Dr. Ilse has also done many presentations for early childhood professionals across Utah and is a passionate IECMH advocate. She is a Past President of the Utah Association for Infant Mental Health (UAIMH). Her work focuses on nonverbal communication, emotional regulation, and early relationships. She is trained in Ways of Seeing and the FAN model, and is a certified Protective Factors trainer. Dr. Ilse integrates movement, mindfulness, and connection into all of her work, including through Ever Expanding Circles.
Conference Schedule
This conference is scheduled over the course of two days.
Day 1: Thursday, February 12th (8:30am-12:30pm)
Understanding the Nervous System to Improve Connection
Alyssa Blask-Campbell, M.Ed., best-selling author of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions, will start off the conference by showing how understanding the nervous system can reshape the way we support young children. Recognizing behaviors as signs of regulation or dysregulation and offering co-regulation and connection, we can move beyond labels and respond to children’s deeper needs. This session will leave you with actionable strategies to improve your approach, fostering emotional security and stronger connections with children in any setting!
Day 2: Friday, February 13th (8:30am-12:30pm)
Building Relational Health through Simple, Ordinary Human Interactions
Dr. Junlei Li, a leader in the field of Early Relational Health, will present on building relational health through simple, ordinary human interactions. As caregivers, educators, and helping professionals, many of us know what it feels like to be overwhelmed—pulled in many directions, while still wondering if we’re doing enough. In the midst of that uncertainty, it’s easy to lose sight of the impact we have. This presentation invites us to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the heart of our work: the simple, everyday moments of connection we share with others. These ordinary interactions—often overlooked—are the foundation of trust, safety, and resilience. They matter deeply, not just to the children, families, and communities we serve, but to our own sense of purpose and well-being.
**From 12:30-1:30PM we will be holding our annual board meeting for all those interested in learning more about what UAIMH does and how you can become more involved. We hope to see you there!
Reflective Practice Review & Discussion
From Wonder to Wisdom: Reflecting on Reflective Practice
Following each Keynote presentation, Dr. DeKoeyer will explore how reflective functioning unfolds in ordinary moments—and how those moments can become extraordinary when approached with openness and reflection. She will also discuss the foundational role of the practice of Reflective Supervision/Consultation in this process. She will discuss how young children learn to reflect on themselves and their experiences within early relationships, and how we can foster parental reflective functioning (which supports secure attachment and emotion regulation). She will also outline how we can support early childhood students and professionals to integrate reflective practice (RP) in their work. She will discuss practices that have helped students develop the increasing capacity to handle emotionally challenging situations and apply more of the knowledge and skills they have learned.
Break Out Sessions
Following Dr. DeKoeyer’s presentation each day, we will have "Round Table" discussions in breakout rooms. To make a bridge between the information from the presentations and the real world, you will have a chance to consider how the information from the presentations applies to your own work. We will end each day with concluding remarks.
All in all, we aim to offer you tools to take back into your everyday work with the youngest members of our society and their caregivers. Our presenters are each highly esteemed experts in their fields, and they are excited to bring their work to you!
Ticketing Information
Registration is for both days. The conference will be held online. You will receive a link to join shortly before the event.
Membership Discount: If you are a UAIMH member, you are able to select our members only ticket options for the conference for a discounted price.
Scholarship Information:
UAIMH is excited to offer scholarships again this year to offset the cost of the conference for eligible attendees. These scholarships are intended to increase accessibility for attendees who are interested and engaged in work related to infant mental health but for whom the financial cost of registration would be a barrier to attending the annual conference. Please email uaimh.info@gmail.com if you are interested and include in the subject “UAIMH Scholarship Interest" with an answer to the question, "How would a scholarship to this conference support you in your professional goals?" We will then send you what you need to complete registration.
Students:
Again this year we are offering discounted tickets for students who wish to attend our conference. If you are a student and interested in purchasing a ticket for a discounted rate of $25.00, please send your name, the university you are attending, and a picture of your student ID card to uaimh.info@gmail.com. You will receive directions at that time for how to purchase a ticket. Please include "UAIMH Student Interest" in the subject of your email.
CEU Opportunities:
There will be opportunities for CEUs for the conference for Psychology and Social Work.
Contact Us
General information: uaimh.info@gmail.com
Endorsement: endorsement.uaimh@gmail.com
Utah Association for Infant Mental Health
