How do I Relate to Children Who Can't Relate?
The focus of this workshop is on understanding attachment, recognizing when children show signs
of attachment problems and what to do about them. Early attachment experiences form the blueprint
for future ability to form stable relationships.
One of the most important skills we have to learn is how to get along with others, which in turn
reflects how we see ourselves and our place in the world. How secure we feel as an adult has its
roots in the first relationships of our lives, especially with the primary caregivers of our
childhood. When children have not had stable, predictable and secure beginnings, they bring distorted
expectations of self and others into future relationships. Many of the problems presented by children
and adolescents in the foster care and juvenile justice systems can be traced to early family
instability and the lack of secure early attachment.
What happens when a plant is uprooted while it is growing and moved to a new environment? What
happens to children when they are uprooted and placed in a new home? We know the transition is
a challenge for both, even when the new environment is more favorable for healthy growth. The
caring gardener and the caring parent must learn about the plant, know the particulars of their
own environment and also understand the natural ups and downs of transition.
This workshop is especially helpful for addressing the many questions that arise for foster and
adoptive parents and professionals who work with them, as they set about creating a safe and nurturing
home for a child who has been "transplanted" from one environment to another.
Participants will learn about:
- Attachment and how it shapes personality
- How childhood trauma disrupts attachment
- "Transplanting" and its impact on children at different developmental stages
- How to "read" behavior for signs of distress and trauma
- How to facilitate healthy adjustment to the new home
- How to use the "teachable moment" in behavior problems
- What children need to grow up healthy and well-adjusted
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