0405 - Secure Parent, Secure Child: How a Parent’s Attachment Shapes the Attachment of a Child

Course Description

Hours: 12

Research demonstrates (Dr. Mary Main) that if you know the adult attachment of the parent you can predict, with a high degree of accuracy, the attachment of the child. This means that if a parent has an insecure adult attachment, their child is likely to have an insecure attachment as well. If this is the case, why do therapists and counsellors continue to teach parenting techniques rather than help parents develop secure adult attachment? Without understanding their adult attachment and unresolved childhood issues, parents will be prevented from creating a secure parenting environment, which is essential for secure infants and children.

This workshop will focus on how to assess for adult attachment, how to help a parent understand their adult attachment category, without judgement, and how their attachment affects their parenting, examining positive and adverse qualities. Parenting interventions will be offered to help parents use secure parenting interventions and ensure a more in-depth and lasting model of healthy parenting. 

The training will help participants learn the adult attachment categories, based on the research of Dr. Mary Main, and how each category affects parenting. Participants will learn how to determine a parent’s adult attachment and how to non-judgmentally reflect this to the parents with whom they are working. Participants will learn how to help parents understand how their adult attachment affects their parenting, what specific changes they need to make based on their attachment category and how to parent from a secure adult attachment base. Using this model, even parents with an insecure adult attachment will not transmit their insecure adult attachments to their children. 

Participants will learn:
•    Categories of adult attachment based on the research of Dr. Mary Main.
•    How each category affects parenting.
•    Determining categories of attachment through patterns of behavior.
•    How to help parents understand their attachment category and specific interventions for change.
•    How to help parents develop parenting skills from a secure attachment base. 

This is a valuable and non-judgmental approach to ensure that children have the potential to become secure adults and for those parents with insecure adult attachments to develop better self-understanding and parenting skills.  

Case examples and interactive exercises will be presented.

Notes

For more information contact the Faculty of Social Work Professional Development office:

Email: fswprofessionaldevelopment@wlu.ca
Phone: 548-889-4967

Cancellations and Transfers
Be sure to carefully review our cancellation and transfer information before registering.

Website: wlu.ca/fswpd

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Family and Couples Counselling : Family and Couples Counselling