Course | Attachment Theory: How Children Learn What to Expect From relationships (DAA013)

Price

Original price: £99.

Facilitator

Graham Music
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

Dr Graham Music (PHD) is a consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and an adult psychotherapist in private practice.

He has a particular interest in exploring the interface between developmental findings and clinical work. Formerly Associate Clinical Director of the Tavistock and Portman’s Child and Family Department, he has managed a range of services working with the aftermath of child maltreatment and neglect and organised many community-based psychotherapy services. Dr Music currently works clinically with forensic cases at The Portman Clinic. He teaches, lectures and supervises students in the UK and abroad.

Dr Music’s publications include Nurturing Children: From Trauma to Hope using neurobiology, psychoanalysis and attachment (2019), Nurturing Natures: Attachment and children’s emotional, sociocultural and brain development (2016, 2010), Affect and Emotion (2001), and The Good Life: Wellbeing and the new science of altruism, selfishness and immorality (2014), as well as many book chapters and journal articles.

Key Information

Duration: 5 hours
Delivery: Online - self-study
Qualification: CPD certificate

Course Overview

This five-hour course provides an online introduction to the fundamental principles of attachment theory. You’ll explore how the dynamics of early relationships influence how children interact with the world in later life, and the impact of these on their development and resilience.

Aims and Learning Objectives

Focusing on John Bowlby’s seminal attachment theory, this course explores how children’s innate ability to adapt to their surroundings can lead to both short-term gains and long-term costs – forming behavioural patterns that are ingrained in the mind, brain and body.

Presenting the key ideas that form the basis of attachment theory alongside relevant case examples, the course provides valuable insights into the enduring impact of early relationships, which can help to inform your own interactions with children and young people.

You will learn by:
exploring key concepts through interactive lecture content and videos
deepening your understanding via regular opportunities for reflection
considering a case study to help apply the theory to your work
testing your knowledge with a multiple choice quiz to access your CPD certificate

Who Is This Course for?

Tavistock Education and Training welcomes anyone to this course who has a keen interest in the subject area.

In particular, this course is for you if you work with children and families and wish to learn more about cutting-edge research findings and how these can be used in your work.

You may be working in:
a school
social services
healthcare
the voluntary sector
or you may be considering work with children in the future

Course Details

Structure and timings
This interactive course runs continuously, so you can sign up at any time. It offers five hours of self-directed online learning which you can undertake at a time, pace and location that suits you.

You will have access to the course and its materials for one year. Access begins the day after you’ve booked, when you will receive your account details by email.

This course is also available as part of the Understanding and Nurturing Troubled Children course bundle, a convenient option that offers one year’s access to four complementary courses.

Course content
This course will allow you to:
identify the positive benefits of ‘healthily stressful’ experiences, which can build resilience, as well as empathic, attuned parenting, and the ability to reflect on mental states
learn what happens when early experiences are too stressful, and how adaptive coping strategies can become unhelpful defences in the longer term
gain an understanding of the four main kinds of attachment relationship, how these attachment styles form, and why – with reference to a number of key studies
examine the role of attachment in personality development, and the link between attachment patterns and states of mind

Requirements and assessment
There are no specific requirements for the course, although we suggest you are working with, or have an interest in working with children, or want to learn more about the effects of difficult early experiences on children’s minds and behaviours.

There’s a multiple choice question assessment at the end of the course, which provides access to your CPD certificate upon completion.

Training for Organisations

Looking to enhance the skills of your team or workforce and create long-lasting impact?

Tavistock Education and Training can offer discounts for group bookings, as well as packages tailored to your specific workforce requirements, including:
an initial consultation to help identify your team’s training needs and knowledge gaps
a flexible, bespoke training programme combining this self-study course with live elements such as reflective sessions or follow-up workshops for deeper learning

For more information on how Tavistock Education and Training can support your organisation, please get in touch.