Name: Family Therapy with Young Children and their Parents [In Person]
Start: 2025-04-25T10:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-25T13:00:00-04:00
Location: Ackerman Institute for the Family

Earn 3 CE Contact Hours

Including young children (three years to 12 years of age) in family therapy can be challenging. Although their perspective and participation are essential to understanding and intervening effectively with families, it is not always easy to know how to engage them and elicit their full participation.

This workshop will begin by introducing a model of parenting that helps understand what children need from their parents to support their development in multiple arenas. The presenter will then use videos of family therapy sessions to illustrate a variety of clinical activities to assess family dynamics, develop a relational hypothesis, and intervene effectively. These include: (a) activities for children aged 3 to 7 that help to assess parent-child dyadic and triadic dynamics; (b) family play genogram; (c) family drawing; (d) parent-child communication work; (e) emotion coaching.

Learning Objectives:

To identify and explain the three components of the Parenting Processes Model (1) Developing the Emotional Relationship, (2) Supporting Exploration and Learning, (3) Guiding Towards Interdependence
To select and use appropriate activities to assess parent-child dynamics and develop a relational hypothesis for the family’s presenting problem
To utilize clinical activities with parents and their children to strengthen relational bonds and resolve the presenting problem

*Workshop is open to both parents and clinicians.

Meet Dr. Martha Edwards:

Martha E. Edwards, PhD is the Director of the Ackerman Institute’s Center for the Developing Child and Family and Director of Research. Her interests include: child development in the context of the family and culture; the determinants, processes and outcomes of parenting; and the integration of body, mind, and spirit in therapy. Dr. Edwards created The Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Program, a curriculum that enhances the parent-child relationship and promotes school readiness in infants and toddlers. She received the 2015 award from the American Family Therapy Academy for “Innovative Contributions to Family Therapy.” She presents nationally and internationally and maintains a private practice in New York City. She is currently Co-President of the NY Zero to Three Network and advisory editor for Family Process. She has served as Board Member and Vice-President for the American Family Therapy Academy.