Parent-Child Relationship Programs

Promoting First Relationships® Level One VIRTUAL Workshop – May 18-21, 2026
2026-05-18 09:00 - 2026-05-21 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
4 Half-Days Level 1 Workshop
May 18-21, 2026
9:00 – 12:30pm each day Pacific Time (SEATTLE) / 12:00 – 3:3opm Eastern Time (NY)
via Zoom
14 CEs available
Promoting First Relationships workshop gives professionals the knowledge, tools, and strategies to support and guide caregivers in building nurturing relationships with children (0-5). The Promoting First Relationships evidence-based program integrates theory, practice and intervention.
In this 4 half-day learner’s workshop, participants learn a unique consultation and intervention strategy that they can integrate into their work whether in high-risk, special needs, child-care, or other early childhood fields.
In this workshop, you will learn . . .

Theoretical foundations of social and emotional development in early childhood (birth to 3 years)
Consultation strategies
Elements of a healthy relationship
Infants and the development of trust and security
Toddlers and the development of self
Understanding and intervening with children’s challenging behaviors
Developing intervention plans and individualizing the PFR curriculum

Promoting First Relationships can improve…

Parental sensitivity
Parental knowledge of child development
Parental confidence and competence
Child outcomes
Child Welfare outcomes

Because Promoting First Relationships is a positive, strengths-based model, caregivers are typically open to intervention and gain competence, and thus investment, in their caregiving.
Your fee covers tuition, all curriculum materials including the Promoting First Relationships manual, and a copy of reproducible parent handouts.
What participants are saying . . .

“I loved the video examples which really helped illustrate the principles.”
“Straightforward and doable, lots of real life examples and opportunity to reflect in groups.”
“I liked how the case studies cemented the concepts.”
“I particularly liked the group discussions, latest research information and the handouts.”

From Contagious Crying to Compassion: The Origins of Empathy- June 23, 2026
2026-06-23 09:00 - 10:30 | Zoom
June 23, 2026
9 – 10:30am Pacific Time (Seattle) / 12 – 1:30pm Eastern
via Zoom
BARNARD CENTER FREE LECTURE SERIES
Why do babies cry when they hear other babies cry? Is it simply a reaction to an unpleasant sound or an early sign of empathy? This talk explores the phenomenon of “contagious crying” in infancy, drawing on cross-cultural studies from the UK and Uganda using innovative physiological measures. We will consider how infants’ early emotional responses to others lay the groundwork for empathy, and how these are shaped by caregivers and cultural contexts to support young children’s emotional development.

DR. CARLO VREDEN, PhD
Dr. Carlo Vreden obtained his PhD in Developmental Psychology from Durham University in the UK and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education in Frankfurt, Germany. Carlo’s work looks at the development of young children’s social and emotional behaviors and how their development is shaped by instructional styles, caregiver interactions, and cultural practices.

REGISTER HERE

Promoting First Relationships® Level One VIRTUAL Workshop – July 14-17, 2026
2026-07-14 09:00 - 2026-07-17 12:30
4 Half-Days Level 1 Workshop
July 14-17, 2026
9:00 – 12:30pm each day Pacific Time (SEATTLE) / 12:00 – 3:30pm Eastern Time (NY)
via Zoom
14 CEs available
Promoting First Relationships workshop gives professionals the knowledge, tools, and strategies to support and guide caregivers in building nurturing relationships with children (0-5). The Promoting First Relationships evidence-based program integrates theory, practice and intervention.
In this 4 half-day learner’s workshop, participants learn a unique consultation and intervention strategy that they can integrate into their work whether in high-risk, special needs, child-care, or other early childhood fields.
In this workshop, you will learn . . .

Theoretical foundations of social and emotional development in early childhood (birth to 3 years)
Consultation strategies
Elements of a healthy relationship
Infants and the development of trust and security
Toddlers and the development of self
Understanding and intervening with children’s challenging behaviors
Developing intervention plans and individualizing the PFR curriculum

Promoting First Relationships can improve…

Parental sensitivity
Parental knowledge of child development
Parental confidence and competence
Child outcomes
Child Welfare outcomes

Because Promoting First Relationships is a positive, strengths-based model, caregivers are typically open to intervention and gain competence, and thus investment, in their caregiving.
Your fee covers tuition, all curriculum materials including the Promoting First Relationships manual, and a copy of reproducible parent handouts.
What participants are saying . . .

“I loved the video examples which really helped illustrate the principles.”
“Straightforward and doable, lots of real life examples and opportunity to reflect in groups.”
“I liked how the case studies cemented the concepts.”
“I particularly liked the group discussions, latest research information and the handouts.”

Please note: Each training session must have a minimum of 13 people registered 1 week prior to the training date. If this minimum number is not met, PCRP reserves the right to cancel the training. All registrants will be notified of any cancellations.

In and out of sync: Biobehavioral synchrony in the context of early adversity - July 23, 2026
2026-07-23 10:00 - 11:30
July 23, 2026
10 – 11:30am Pacific Time (Seattle) / 1 – 2:30pm Eastern
via Zoom
BARNARD CENTER FREE LECTURE SERIES
In this talk, Dr. Gray will review the state of the science on biobehavioral synchrony between parents and their children, or how parents’ and children’s behavior and physiology coordinate during interaction. The talk will focus on synchrony’s potential for understanding intergenerational transmission of mental health risk, particularly in contexts of early adversity, reviewing research from her lab and other scholars. In addition, she will underscore what we currently do and don’t yet understand about physiological synchrony, highlighting future directions in research as well as clinical implications.

DR. SARAH GRAY, PhD
Dr. Sarah Gray is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut. As a clinician, scholar, and teacher, she focuses on the healing power of relationships. Her research examines the developmental consequences of early life adversity, with a specific focus on intergenerational processes. She is an academy of fellows member at Zero to Three, and her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Brain & Behavior Foundation, and the American Psychoanalytic Association.

REGISTER HERE

Promoting First Relationships® (PFR) OPEN HOUSE
2026-07-29 09:00 - 09:30 | Zoom, United States
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
9:00am – 9:30am PT (Seattle)
via Zoom
Register Here
Join us on Zoom January 21st to learn more about Promoting First Relationships® (PFR) and how this program can support the work that you do with families and young children.

PFR offers a unique and engaging way of working with caregivers to help them feel confident in their parenting and experience joy in their relationship with their child.
This open house will include a brief presentation and time for questions and answers.

From Early Social Interactions to Language Development: Brain-to-Brain Synchrony and Natural Social Stimuli - August 12, 2026
2026-08-12 09:00 - 10:30
August 12, 2026
9 – 10:30am Pacific Time (Seattle) / 12 – 1:30pm Eastern
via Zoom
BARNARD CENTER FREE LECTURE SERIES
From birth, infants engage in rich social interactions that rely on both verbal cues (e.g., caregiver speech) and nonverbal signals (e.g., body odors). My research examines how early multisensory social input shapes social brain development and supports later language outcomes.
In earlier work, I investigated social chemosignaling in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using subliminal presentation of natural (fear-related body odor) and synthetic chemosignals, I demonstrated altered autonomic and behavioral responses in adults with autism, suggesting that atypical processing of social olfactory cues may contribute to difficulties in social communication.
Extending this work to early development, I examined how maternal chemosignals influence infant social behavior and neural coupling. Using ecological interaction paradigms and dual-EEG, I found that exposure to maternal body odor enhances infant–adult brain-to-brain synchrony, increases attention to faces, and promotes positive arousal and approach behavior during interactions with an unfamiliar adult. To examine whether mother–infant inter-brain synchrony is influenced by maternal behavior, I examined its association with two well-studied maternal behavioral orientations: sensitivity and intrusiveness. I found that higher maternal sensitivity was associated with greater mother–infant neural synchrony. Maternal sensitivity has consistently been linked to positive socio-emotional outcomes and language development.
My current research focuses on how early caregiver–infant interactions support language development. In longitudinal studies, I found that maternal sensitivity, infant-directed speech (IDS), and conversational turn-taking as early as 3 months predict language outcomes in the third year of life. Furthermore, early brain-to-brain synchrony between caregivers and infants predicts later language outcomes and mediates the association between maternal sensitivity and language development.
Together, this work identifies the importance of early social interactions for social development and language acquisition, and highlights brain-to-brain synchrony as a potential mechanism linking early caregiving to long-term developmental outcomes.

YAARA ENDEVELT, PhD

Dr. Yaara Endevelt-Shapira is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on human social interactions and social neurodevelopment, using behavioral and neurophysiological methods to measure interpersonal behavioral and neural synchrony between infants and adults during natural interactions.
Dr. Endevelt-Shapira earned her B.Sc. in Food Engineering and Biotechnology from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. She completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where she worked with Prof. Noam Sobel on olfaction and social chemosignaling in autism spectrum disorders. She then conducted her postdoctoral training at the Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience at Reichman University, working with Prof. Ruth Feldman on social chemosignaling during early development, including the use of dual-EEG to assess adult–infant inter-brain synchrony.
Her work has shown that exposure to maternal body odor during interaction with an unfamiliar female increased brain-to-brain synchrony as well as infant’s visual attention to faces, positive arousal, and approach behavior. In addition, maternal behaviors, such as sensitivity and intrusiveness during face-to-face interactions, are associated with levels of inter-brain synchrony between mothers and infants. In her current research, she employs longitudinal designs to examine how early caregiver–infant interactions at 3 months of age, parental speech input and responsiveness, as well as brain-to-brain synchrony, and physiological measures (e.g., heart rate) relate to later language development and school readiness.

REGISTER HERE

Supporting Trust and Exploration in Reflective Supervision/Consultation - August 20, 2026
2026-08-20 09:00 - 12:00
Supporting Trust and Exploration in Reflective Supervision/Consultation
A Training for Home Visiting Supervisors and Consultants
August 20, 2026
9 – 12 pm Pacific Time / 12 -3 pm Eastern Time
via Zoom
3 CEs available
Why Attend?
Reflective Supervision is the heart of relational practice. This training will help you create supervisory spaces that foster trust, curiosity, and growth—essential for supporting home visitors and the families they serve.
What You’ll Learn:
✔ Understand the Primary Goals of Reflective Supervision/Consultation

Build safety and confidence for home visitors
Promote reflective capacity and professional growth
See through the parent’s and child’s lens for attuned support

✔ Deepen Understanding of Human Social Emotional Needs

Explore how the 10 Human Social Emotional Needs show up in the work
Learn how to stay connected during difficult interactions
Create responsive and containing supervisory relationships

✔ Balance Exploration and Guidance

Navigate reflective exploration vs. directive guidance
Support growth while maintaining accountability
Cultivate a curious, compassionate, developmentally informed stance

Please note: Each training session must have a minimum of 13 people registered 1 week prior to the training date. If this minimum number is not met, PCRP reserves the right to cancel the training. All registrants will be notified of any cancellations.

Promoting First Relationships® Level One VIRTUAL Workshop – September 15, 17, 21 & 23, 2026
2026-09-15 09:00 - 2026-09-23 12:30
4 Half-Days Level 1 Workshop
September 15, 17 21 & 23, 2026
9:00 – 12:30pm each day Pacific Time (SEATTLE) / 12:00 – 3:3opm Eastern Time (NY)
via Zoom
14 CEs available
Promoting First Relationships workshop gives professionals the knowledge, tools, and strategies to support and guide caregivers in building nurturing relationships with children (0-5). The Promoting First Relationships evidence-based program integrates theory, practice and intervention.
In this 4 half-day learner’s workshop, participants learn a unique consultation and intervention strategy that they can integrate into their work whether in high-risk, special needs, child-care, or other early childhood fields.
In this workshop, you will learn . . .

Theoretical foundations of social and emotional development in early childhood (birth to 3 years)
Consultation strategies
Elements of a healthy relationship
Infants and the development of trust and security
Toddlers and the development of self
Understanding and intervening with children’s challenging behaviors
Developing intervention plans and individualizing the PFR curriculum

Promoting First Relationships can improve…

Parental sensitivity
Parental knowledge of child development
Parental confidence and competence
Child outcomes
Child Welfare outcomes

Because Promoting First Relationships is a positive, strengths-based model, caregivers are typically open to intervention and gain competence, and thus investment, in their caregiving.
Your fee covers tuition, all curriculum materials including the Promoting First Relationships manual, and a copy of reproducible parent handouts.
What participants are saying . . .

“I loved the video examples which really helped illustrate the principles.”
“Straightforward and doable, lots of real life examples and opportunity to reflect in groups.”
“I liked how the case studies cemented the concepts.”
“I particularly liked the group discussions, latest research information and the handouts.”

Please note: Each training session must have a minimum of 13 people registered 1 week prior to the training date. If this minimum number is not met, PCRP reserves the right to cancel the training. All registrants will be notified of any cancellations.

Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy (PMMH) OPEN HOUSE
2026-09-16 11:00 - 12:00
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
11:00am – 12:00pm PT (Seattle)
via Zoom
Register Here
Attend this 30 minute free information session to learn about Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy (PMMH) and how this training can help your practice.

What is Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy?
PMMH addresses the importance of helping the pregnant woman achieve a healthier mental and emotional state during pregnancy in order to improve the chances that she and her child will experience a healthier relationship.

Research has shown that a mother’s mental health and emotional state during pregnancy has an immediate and direct impact on her relationship with her infant.
In turn, the health of the mother-child relationship directly impacts the child’s quality of life.
By helping the pregnant woman improve her mental and emotional state during pregnancy, we are able to increase the chances that she and her child will experience a healthier relationship.

Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy VIRTUAL Workshop – September 21-24, 2026
2026-09-21 08:00 - 2026-09-24 12:00 | Zoom
September 21-24, 2026
8:00am – 12:00pm each day Pacific Time (Seattle)
via Zoom
15 CEs available
This workshop addresses the importance of helping the pregnant woman achieve a healthier mental and emotional state during pregnancy in order to improve the chances that she and her child will experience a healthier relationship. Interventions allow for individualized and creative approaches that capture your client’s interest.

Research has shown that a mother’s mental health and emotional state during pregnancy has an immediate and direct impact on her lifelong relationship with her infant.
In turn, the health of the mother-child relationship directly impacts the child’s quality of life, possibly throughout the lifespan.
By helping the pregnant woman improve her mental and emotional state during pregnancy, we are able to increase the chances that she and her child will experience a healthier relationship.

Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy training covers issues critical to the development of the early mother-child relationship including . . .

High-risk pregnancies
Unresolved grief or loss
Normal, typical course of pregnancy
Domestic violence
Women experiencing depression or other mental health disruptions

Your fee covers tuition and all curriculum materials including two Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy books, one covering Theory and Practice and one on Activities, an assessment guide, and 56 reproducible handouts/activities.
What participants are saying . . .

“Excellent. Fantastic. I love that I’m leaving with real, simple interventions that I can start using tomorrow. A very practicial application to help Mom through all aspects of pregnancy.”

“The presenter was good at connecting the concepts in a personal and positive way.”
“I feel more confident in being able to help my families.”

Please note: Each training session must have a minimum of 13 people registered 1 week prior to the training date. If this minimum number is not met, PCRP reserves the right to cancel the training. All registrants will be notified of any cancellations.

Understanding Infant Cues, Regulation, Behavior, and States - October 5, 2026
2026-10-05 08:30 - 12:30 | Zoom
October 5, 2026
8:30AM – 12:30 PM Pacific Time (SEATTLE) / 11:30AM -3:30PM Eastern (New York)
via Zoom

This training is eligible for 4 STARS credit.
Keys to Infant Caregiving is a research-based program for professionals that provides essential information on newborn and infant behavior. Participants will learn about infants and their captivating ability to interact and engage in relationships with their parents, caregivers, childcare providers and how that impacts the care they receive. Participants will learn about how infants’ internal states influence their behavior and how to help infants regulate. They will learn how to read the very young infant’s cues and how to foster relationships in the childcare setting that promote the infant’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth while completing routine tasks like feeding and diapering an infant.
The course will be a mixture of video observation of infants, PowerPoint, and discussion to help participants define, observe, and reflect on ways to understand and support how infants in their care are growing and developing within the daily interactions they are engaging in.
This course will help you:

Describe the observable behaviors of the six infant states and how that impacts the care they receive
Identify state-related behaviors during routine caregiving activities
Demonstrate your knowledge of the infant’s regulatory capabilities through the identification of cues- both engagement and disengagement
Identify ways of interacting with infants to support emotion regulation, language, and social development

Your fee covers tuition and Keys to Infant Caregiving study guide.

Promoting First Relationships® Level One VIRTUAL Workshop – November 2, 4, 10 & 12, 2026
2026-11-02 09:00 - 2026-11-12 12:30
4 Half-Days Level 1 Workshop
November 2, 4, 10 & 12, 2026
9:00 – 12:30pm each day Pacific Time (SEATTLE) / 12:00 – 3:3opm Eastern Time (NY)
via Zoom
14 CEs available
Promoting First Relationships workshop gives professionals the knowledge, tools, and strategies to support and guide caregivers in building nurturing relationships with children (0-5). The Promoting First Relationships evidence-based program integrates theory, practice and intervention.
In this 4 half-day learner’s workshop, participants learn a unique consultation and intervention strategy that they can integrate into their work whether in high-risk, special needs, child-care, or other early childhood fields.
In this workshop, you will learn . . .

Theoretical foundations of social and emotional development in early childhood (birth to 3 years)
Consultation strategies
Elements of a healthy relationship
Infants and the development of trust and security
Toddlers and the development of self
Understanding and intervening with children’s challenging behaviors
Developing intervention plans and individualizing the PFR curriculum

Promoting First Relationships can improve…

Parental sensitivity
Parental knowledge of child development
Parental confidence and competence
Child outcomes
Child Welfare outcomes

Because Promoting First Relationships is a positive, strengths-based model, caregivers are typically open to intervention and gain competence, and thus investment, in their caregiving.
Your fee covers tuition, all curriculum materials including the Promoting First Relationships manual, and a copy of reproducible parent handouts.
What participants are saying . . .

“I loved the video examples which really helped illustrate the principles.”
“Straightforward and doable, lots of real life examples and opportunity to reflect in groups.”
“I liked how the case studies cemented the concepts.”
“I particularly liked the group discussions, latest research information and the handouts.”

Please note: Each training session must have a minimum of 13 people registered 1 week prior to the training date. If this minimum number is not met, PCRP reserves the right to cancel the training. All registrants will be notified of any cancellations.

Dr. Ruth Feldman presents: The Biology of Love and the Roots of Resilience; Biobehavioral Synchrony from Science to Intervention - November 5, 2026
2026-11-05 09:00 - 10:30 | Zoom, United States
November 5, 2026
9 – 10:30am Pacific Time (Seattle) / 12 – 1:30pm Eastern
via Zoom
BARNARD CENTER LECTURE SERIES
The talk will present our affiliative neuroscience perspective on resilience, which contends that for young mammals, who are born with immature brains and require caregiving do develop mechanisms of stress management and sociality, systems that participate in bonding are those that sustain resilience. I show how the biology of love and its core process biobehavioral synchrony underpin attachment and promote resilience. I describe how synchrony – the coordination of biology and behavior during social contact – emerges within the parent-infant bond, grows to integrate more complex, symbolic, and reciprocal components of resonance, and expands to other attachments the child will form throughout life, impacting mental health up to adulthood. I address studies on brain-to-brain synchrony within the parent-child relationship and how they are altered by aspects of humans’ co-presence, including chemosignals and technologically-assisted remote communication. Translational implications are highlighted with the InSynch intervention for mothers suffering post-partum depression and its effects on symptom reduction, caregiving behavior, and inter-brain coordination. The talk will conclude by contemplating how synchrony enables the transfer from the intimacy of the parent-infant bond to life within social groups and supports human endurance, cooperation, and the capacity for transcendence.

RUTH FELDMAN, PhD

Ruth Feldman, PhD is the Simms-Mann Professor of Developmental Social Neuroscience at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzlia with joint appointment at Yale Child Study Center.
With degrees in music composition (summa cum-laude), neuroscience (with honors), clinical psychology (with honors), and developmental psychology and psychopathology, her approach integrates perspectives from neuroscience, human development, philosophy, clinical practice, and the arts within an interpersonal frame and a behavior-based approach. Her conceptual model on biobehavioral synchrony systematically describes how a lived experience within close relationships builds brain, creates relationships, confers resilience, and promotes creativity. Her studies were the first to detail the role of oxytocin in the formation of human social bonds.
Her research is translational and informs the development of various interventions applied internationally. Her observational tools are used in 17 countries, translated to multiple languages, and utilized in research on all facets of human social relationships in health and psychopathology. She is a consultant on multiple international grants and a frequent keynote speaker in international conferences. Her studies often follow children from infancy to adulthood, address topics that are highly relevant to the general public, and receive substantial media attention.
Dr. Feldman is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and received multiple awards, including a young musician award, Rothschild award, NARSAD independent investigator award (twice), the Zeskind award for best paper in Biological Psychiatry, and the Graven’s Award for research on high-risk infants.
