Infant mental health expert has trained and mentored countless practitioners—with a focus on increasing the ranks of clinicians of color—over a three-decade career
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Gina Davis, gdavis@zerotothree.org, 202-864-2934
Washington, DC — ZERO TO THREE, the country’s leading nonprofit working to ensure all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, is proud to recognize Karol A. Wilson with the 2024 ZERO TO THREE Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors individuals who have made remarkable contributions to improving the lives of infants, toddlers and their families. Karol Wilson, LMSW, IMH-E®, is an infant and early childhood mental health innovator, leader, author and diversity and equity advocate.
“Karol has conducted groundbreaking work in infant and early childhood mental health and emotional development,” said Dr. Walter S. Gilliam, President of the Board of Directors at ZERO TO THREE. “Karol’s work has involved a deep interpersonal and relationship-building approach to attracting, nurturing, supervising and mentoring new clinicians, particularly clinicians of color. Her unwavering commitment to the growth and diversification of the infant and early childhood mental health field has left an indelible mark.”
Her leadership and expertise have helped lay the foundation for infant mental health innovations in Michigan and beyond. Wilson has served as an Infant Mental Health Specialist in Grand Rapids and as an Intake Specialist in the Healthy Start Program at St. Joseph Mercy. She was among the inaugural Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) Diversity Fellows and was the first African American to be endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Mentor by the organization. In 2019, she received the Selma Fraiberg Award at the MI-AIMH Biennial Conference, recognizing her outstanding contributions to Michigan’s infants, young children and their families.
As a reflective consultant for clinicians and programs across the state of Michigan, Wilson co-developed the “IMH 3-Day,” a foundational training course required for infant mental health clinicians in Michigan. “IMH 3-Day is often one of the first trainings new professionals experience. She has had an exceptional career advocating for equitable access to infant and early childhood mental health services for babies and their families.
“Karol’s expertise in attachment theory, infant mental health, diversity issues and guiding difficult conversations with parents has transformed the lives of countless families and young children,” said Matthew Melmed, Executive Director of ZERO TO THREE. “Her influence is truly remarkable, solidifying her as an exceptional leader, researcher and advocate.”
Most recently, Wilson has served as co-editor of the newly released “Honoring Voices Within Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Relationship-Based Stories From the Field,” which examines relationship-based practice within various contexts, family structures, and cultures. She has co-authored four published articles and contributed to two chapters in the book “Therapeutic Cultural Routines to Build Family Relationships: Talk, Touch and Listen While Combing Hair.”
ZERO TO THREE will present Wilson with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual LEARN Conference in Long Beach, California, July 31-Aug. 1, 2024.
Media may attend the conference or the award presentation free of charge by contacting Gina Davis at gdavis@zerotothree.org for press credentials. For information about the conference, visit ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference 2024.
