Parenting after Crisis is an Open Group.

This means that a participant can join in at any time. There are 7 core concepts taught in the course of the 15 weeks of participation. The concepts are as follows:

Concept1: Attachment Styles

This concept focuses on the classical attachment theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth), which explores secure attachment as well as the three forms of insecure attachment. The concept also looks into the work of Dr. Dan Siegel and his exploration of the power of parents exploring their own attachment history and how this impacts their parenting.

Concept 2: The Neuroscience of Parenting

Explore the brain, body, and nervous system as it relates to parent-child interactions. Understanding the key components of how the brain and nervous system process stress and trauma helps parents to become more sensitive and effective in their parenting. This concept focuses on the Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Becky Bailey’s understandable model of the brain states, as well as Dr. Stephen Porges’s polyvagal theory, and Dr. Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model. These models also contribute to improved parental self-awareness and self-regulation.

Concept 3: Trauma and Its Effects on Children

The ACES study and its results are explored to help parents understand the potential life-long mental and physical health impacts of trauma. Skills and tools are explored in efforts to reduce the long-term impacts of trauma on children and parents.

Concept 4: Trauma and the Developing Child

Traditional child developmental stages are explored as researched by classical developmental psychologist Erik Erikson. This is supplemented by research from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child and their exploration of the ingredients for healthy brain development. Parents learn to have healthy and realistic expectations for their children as well as learning how trauma can derail the developmental needs of children. Parents will learn how to tend to the developmental needs their children present after experiencing trauma.

Concept 5: Collaborative and Proactive Solutions

This concept focuses on Dr. Ross Greene’s model for reframing child behavior comes alive in light of what happens to children who have experienced trauma. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model helps parents understand that parent-child conflicts often come from lagging skills rather than willful behavior. Parents learn how trauma may have impacted the development of certain skills, and how to help those skills recover relationally. Learn to assess for lagging skills, prioritize problems, and engage in a step-by-step process designed to resolve conflicts, teach skills, and improve relationships.

Concept 6: Filial Play Therapy

Parents will learn the key skills and steps for successful and therapeutic times of play and connection with their children. This concept explains Dr. Gary Landreth’s approach to teach parents many of the skills of a play therapist and learn to put these skills into practice through regularly scheduled times with their children. Parents learn the power of listening, observing, and describing as they promote choice and exploration by allowing their children to take the lead and direct their play. Parents learn to demonstrate presence and rebuild felt-safety for their children.

Concept 7: Conscious Discipline

Dr. Becky Bailey’s Conscious Discipline model is the theoretical and practical structure for the entire Parenting After Crisis class. The practical skills and tools that parents practice every week, such as composure through breathing, unite activities, setting intentions, making personal commitments, and family jobs are practices for every week of class. This concept explores the powers, skills, structures, and household family practices that we have used each week can be implemented into your own interactions with your children.