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Digital Seminar

Relationship-Based Child and Family Therapy

Innovative Strategies to Strengthen Attachment, Emotion Regulation & Healthy Discipline

Speakers:
Kat Scherer, PhD, MFT |  Elizabeth Sylvester, PhD
Duration:
Approx 6 hrs
Copyright:
Mar 20, 2026
Product Code:
POS150059
Media Type:
Digital Seminar - Also available: Live Webinar

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Description

  • Assess the 7 Essential Attachment Needs and strategically increase positivity of the parent-child relationship
  • Powerful tools to enhance the emotional tone of the family and bolster children’s resilience
  • Neurobiologically sound and attachment-based practices for healthy discipline patterns

 

When working with children, the pressure to quickly resolve their emotional and behavioral issues can be overwhelming. And if dysfunctional family dynamics exist, creating true change can seem daunting, if not impossible.

But having the tools to bring parents effectively into the child therapy process, navigate complex family dynamics, and foster parental engagement can not only accelerate progress but lead to deep, meaningful transformation as well!

That’s why Drs Sylvester and Scherer, leading experts in child and family therapy and authors, have created this specialized training packed with innovative, relationship-based interventions designed to improve family dynamics rapidly.

Grounded in the science of neurobiology and attachment theory, you will spend the day immersed in engaging discussions and experiential activities to enhance your therapeutic skills and walk away with:

  • Enhanced child felt-security through transforming family interactions to meet the 7 essential attachment needs
  • Practical tools to stabilize the parent-child relationship, promoting immediate improvements in emotional regulation
  • Effective strategies to set healthy boundaries in powerful, non-damaging ways
  • Interventions to strengthen adult self-regulation to create safety and model healthy emotional expression

Register today to gain the skills you need to help your young clients by creating lasting and healthy family dynamics.

Credit


* Credit Note - Self-Study CE Information Coming Soon

Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this non-interactive self-study package.

CE hours may be available for select professions, as listed in the target audience. Hours will be dependent on the actual recording time. Please check with your state licensing board or organization for specific requirements. 

There may be an additional fee for CE certificates. Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details. 

**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.



Speaker

Kat Scherer, PhD, MFT's Profile

Kat Scherer, PhD, MFT Related seminars and products


Kat Scherer, PhD, MFT, is a practicing psychologist, educator, and author working in Austin, Texas. She co-founded Austin IN Connection, a multidisciplinary organization focused on emotional health and positive relational attachments. She is also a faculty member at the Practice School of Yoga Therapy.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kat Scherer maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Practice School of Yoga and Heart & Work Series. She receives compensation as a speaker and educator. Kat Scherer receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kat Scherer is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and the American Psychological Association. She is a blogger with Psychology Today.


Elizabeth Sylvester, PhD's Profile

Elizabeth Sylvester, PhD Related seminars and products


Elizabeth Sylvester, PhD, is a clinical psychologist working with children and parents in Austin, Texas. She is an advanced trainer of the Nurtured Heart Approach and specializes in treating highly behaviorally and emotionally intense children. She founded Austin child Therapy, whose mission is to support the work of pediatric mental health professionals.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Elizabeth Sylvester maintains a private practice and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Elizabeth Sylvester has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

 


Additional Info

Questions?

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Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.


Objectives

  1. Integrate parents into the child and family therapy arena.
  2. Combine neurobiology, attachment, emotion regulation, and discipline into the clinical treatment of children and families.
  3. Utilize the 7 essential attachment needs to strengthen the parent-child relationship.
  4. Determine the key role of adult emotion regulation on children’s emotional and behavioral regulation.
  5. Choose relationship-based discipline practices to reduce clinical symptoms and improve family functioning.
  6. Integrate cultural sensitivity and ethical considerations into family and child therapy.

Outline

RELATIONSHIP-BASED TREATMENT APPROACH

 

The Child in Therapy

Common Presenting Concerns

  • Depression or anxiety
  • Emotional dysregulation and outbursts
  • Low relational connection
  • High conflict or oppositionality
  • Ineffective or harmful discipline practices

Relationship-Based Treatment Approach

4 Critical Areas of Developmental Science

  • Neurobiology and child development
  • Parent-child attachment patterns
  • Emotional intelligence and regulation
  • Healthy learning and discipline

Relationship-Based Assessment

Evaluate Critical Child and Family Issues

  • Assess the child’s 7 essential attachment needs
  • Signs of child or caregiver dysregulation
  • Identify dysfunctional discipline practices
  • Differentiate underlying mental health needs
  • Who is the client: Child, parent, or both?

 

TREATMENT APPROACHES AND SKILLS

 

Neurobiology of Connection

Attachment, oxytocin, mirror neurons and more

  • Mental states: Calming the body and polyvagal theory
  • Memory and narrative: Implicit and explicit memory, self-stories
  • Teachable moments: Neurobiology of learning
  • Demonstration: Hand model of emotional states
  • Handouts: Physiological and emotional effects of stress and anxiety

Attachment Theory

Harness the power of the parent-child relationship to:

  • Shift toward security: What 70 years of research has taught us
  • Meet the 7 essential attachment needs
  • Foster emotional awareness and regulation
  • Create a positive sense of self
  • Build healthy and effective discipline practices
  • Handout: Annotated list of 7 Essential Attachment Neds
  • Discussions: Break out groups/self-reflection

Emotional Regulation

The foundation for resilience and self-worth

  • Understand and teach ‘window of tolerance”
  • Help kids understand their emotions
  • Self-soothing skills for children
  • Parent emotional stability in tough times
  • Power of positivity and playfulness
  • Mindfulness activity for emotional regulation
  • Discussions: Break out groups/self-reflection

Relationship-Based Discipline

Neurologically and attachment-sound parenting

  • Parents as therapeutic agents
  • Discipline = teaching
  • The Nurtured Heart Approach®
  • Mindful parenting
  • Experiential activity: Modeling Reset
  • Experiential activity: tone of discipline
  • Discussions: Break out groups/self-reflection

Clinical Considerations

  • Therapists as regulators and role models
  • Therapeutic alliance
  • Therapist cultural sensitivity with family rules and values
  • Ethical considerations in family therapy
  • Limitations of the research and potential risks
  • Discussions: Break out groups/self-reflection

Target Audience

  • Psychologists
  • Counselors
  • Social Workers
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Other mental health professionals

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