Family Minds Facilitator Training

This psycho-educational training intervention was developed specifically for foster and adoptive parents and designed to be short-term and practical. Dr. Adkins evaluated the training as part of her dissertation project at University College London and the Anna Freud Center. Results from the evaluation indicate this intervention can increase parent’s reflective capacities and lower parenting stress. The Family Minds intervention is now a promising practice and trauma-informed!

Benefits

Improving mentalizing skills can be very beneficial for foster parents, as they frequently deal with children who come into their home with challenging behaviors, attachment issues and negative internal working models of relationships. The Family Minds intervention can result in:

  • Parents being less likely to jump to conclusions about their foster children’s negative behaviors
  • Parents seeing the deeper meaning behind their child’s behavior, enabling them to problem solve those issues and leading to more meaningful relationships with their foster children
  • Parents being interacting with their children in a more sensitive and therapeutic manner, ultimately increasing secure attachment
  • Less parental stress, reduced placement breakdowns and improved mental health of foster children

Key Features

  • Three separate trainings approximately 3 hours each, spread out over 6 weeks; can be adapted

  • Psycho-educational; can be taught to and given by social workers

  • Cost effective and short-term

  • Designed to increase parent’s knowledge and ability to mentalize and be reflective

  • Helps parents go deeper in understanding the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of their children, as well as themselves

  • Content is cumulative and includes info on trauma, attachment, and mentalization

  • Includes slides, handouts, videos, discussions, classroom activities and, at-home activities

Interested in the Family Minds training?

Inquire here

Recent Family Minds Facilitator Training

October 2022 Pleegzorg Vlaams-Brabant en Brussel/Foster care Flemish Brabant and Brussels, Belgium.

November 2021 Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, UK, Online.

November 2019 University of Versailles, France.

August 2019 Helping Hand Home Foster Agency, Austin.

March 2019 Samaritan Center, Austin.