Skip to main content
North London, NHS Foundation Trust
Group of happy kids

Understanding child development, attachment and resilience (DAA505)

Understand how early experiences and relationships shape children’s development, attachment and resilience

Understanding child development, attachment and resilience
Course type
Course bundle
Fee
£195
Duration
9.5 hours
Delivery
Online: self-study
Qualification
CPD certificate
Book now
Enquire now
Download CPD brochure

Recently refreshed with improved accessibility and enhanced learning resources, this online course bundle provides an accessible introduction to how and why children develop as they do.

Drawing on cutting-edge neurobiological science, developmental theories and clinical ideas, each course explores the most significant influences on the developing child and key developmental stages.

Through three individual, complementary courses, you will explore how early experiences shape the structure and functioning of our brains and nervous systems, and how this can be seen in children’s behaviours, minds and emotions.

Drawing on classical theories around attachment and new understandings of trauma, abuse and neglect, you will learn how children cope with challenging experiences. Their innate ability to adapt to their surroundings can lead to both short term gains and long term costs – forming behavioural patterns that are ingrained in the mind, brain and body.

You will also examine the delicate interplay between nature and nurture, outlining how inherited traits and external influences can all impact on a child’s development. Central to these courses is the idea that children are highly adaptive, developing in response to their environment even before birth.

This course bundle includes 9.5 hours of learning content and includes three individual courses:

You’ll explore key concepts through interactive content and videos, deepen your understanding via opportunities for reflection and consider case studies to help apply the theory to your work, collecting a certificate on completion of each course.

By the end of these clear and accessible courses, you will have a deeper understanding of the factors that can affect how children behave, think and feel and be better placed to provide them with the support they need.

Please note: this course bundle was previously available as Understanding and nurturing troubled children.

Aims and learning objectives

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • explain how early experiences and relationships influence children’s emotional, social and psychological development
  • recognise the impact of attachment patterns, trauma, abuse and neglect on children’s behaviour, wellbeing, relationships and long-term outcomes
  • understand how children adapt to adversity, including the development of coping strategies, emotional regulation and resilience
  • identify the factors that influence parenting and child development, including family, social and environmental influences, while maintaining a compassionate, non-blaming perspective
  • apply attachment-informed and trauma-informed approaches to support children’s emotional wellbeing, strengthen relationships and promote resilience and recovery.

Who will I learn from?

Dr Graham Music, the writer and lead for these courses, is a psychotherapist, trainer and author, working clinically with children, families and adults for over 30 years.

“[These courses] provide an indispensable synthesis of the latest clinical and scientific knowledge about children’s emotional development,” says Dr Graham Music. “They integrate longstanding clinical understandings from the Tavistock’s child psychotherapy traditions with a wealth of new and classical research from areas such as attachment theory, neuroscience, developmental psychology and cross-cultural studies.

“They unpack the most significant influences on the developing child, including the family and social context, looking at key developmental stages and covering important topics such as genes and environment, trauma, neglect, resilience and neurobiology. Full of fascinating findings, they provide answers to many of the questions people really want to ask about child development.

“By understanding why a child presents as they do, we can become less judgemental, and so more able to offer them the help that they need.”

Who are these courses for?

These courses are suitable for individuals, teams and organisations and we welcome anyone who has a keen interest in the subject area. In particular, these courses are for you if you are working with children, young people and families, and wish to learn more about cutting edge research in this area, and how it can be applied to your work.

You may be working in social services, healthcare, education or youth work, the voluntary sector or you may be considering work with children in the future. They are also suitable for practitioners working with Best Start Family Hubs or Healthy Babies services.

Course details

These online courses run continuously, meaning that you can sign up at any time. They offer 9.5 hours of self-directed learning across three separate courses which you can undertake at a time, pace and location that suits you.

You will have access to the courses and their materials for one year. Access begins the next working day after you’ve booked, when you will receive your account details by email.

The three courses making up this bundle can also be studied individually. Children’s emotional, social and brain development offers a general introduction to the topics over 4.5 hours of learning content. Attachment and early relationship patterns and Childhood trauma, neglect and resilience dive more deeply into those specific topics and each offer 2.5 hours of learning content.

You’ll explore a wide range of topics related to children’s emotional, social and brain development, attachment and early relationships and childhood trauma, neglect and resilience. These topics include:

  • early brain development and the influence of relationships and experiences on lifelong development
  • attachment theory, attachment styles and the role of secure relationships
  • attunement, empathy, emotional regulation and the processes of mismatch and repair
  • how children adapt to their environments through coping strategies, defences and resilience
  • neuroplasticity, learning, memory and the developing nervous system
  • stress responses, trauma and the impact of adversity on child development
  • understanding abuse, neglect, maltreatment and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
  • disorganised attachment, complex trauma and the consequences of early adversity
  • the impact of prenatal experiences, genetics and environmental influences on development
  • child and adolescent development, including risk-taking, behaviour and emotional wellbeing
  • mind-mindedness, mentalisation, reflective capacity and attachment across the lifespan
  • trauma-informed approaches, early intervention and strategies for promoting resilience, recovery and positive outcomes.

You’ll learn through a mix of:

  • clear and practical learning objectives
  • knowledge check questions and self-reflection prompts
  • over 40 short video and audio clips
  • a range of images, diagrams, charts and infographics
  • engaging interactive activities and real-life case studies
  • key takeaways and handy unit summaries.

There are no specific requirements for this course bundle, although we suggest you are working with, or have an interest in working with children, or want to learn more about the effects of difficult early experiences on children’s minds and behaviours.

At the end of each of the courses, you will find a multiple-choice question assessment to check your own knowledge and understanding. A certificate, listing the number of learning hours undertaken, is downloadable on completion of each course.

How does it work?

  • Save £22 with this course bundle: bundle price = £195 / cost of three individual mini courses = £217
  • The course bundle contains three interactive online courses, giving you a total of 9.5 hours of learning
  • You can also purchase access to each of the courses individually – visit their course pages to find out more

Training for organisations

Looking to enhance the skills of your team or workforce and create long-lasting impact?

We can offer discounts for group bookings, as well as packages tailored to your specific workforce requirements, including:

  • an initial consultation to help identify your team’s training needs and knowledge gaps
  • a flexible, bespoke training programme combining these self-study courses with live elements such as reflective sessions or follow-up workshops for deeper learning

For more information on how we can support your organisation, please contact us.

Courses included in this bundle

Testimonials

“I thought I knew quite a lot about trauma and neglect but I can highly recommend these courses. Informative, interesting, up to date and has given me a lot more food for thought and ideas about the young people I work with.”
Student
“Really excellent courses. Very informative in terms of sharing current research on brain development, linking how genetics and environment impact the developing mind and beyond. It has helped to enhance my work with clients. Loved the fact I could log on and complete over several weeks in my own time. This was particularly helpful at a time when demands on time have been greater due to balancing work, home schooling and life in general! Many thanks to all involved in producing such a worthwhile course.”
Student
“I really enjoyed the courses. It was just the right level to apply to what I am doing. It has made me want to do more courses with the Tavistock.”
Student
“I found the course content very useful and presented in a very accessible way. The various presentations of the content (videos, reading) were all helpful in consolidating what I was learning.”
Student
“These courses will help me to be more alert to the effects of early trauma/neglect on the behaviour/reactions of children when I see them manifested in the therapy room and be more sensitive to how I might help balance emotional deficits.”
Student
“These courses have given me a massively beneficial insight into the processes a traumatised child may go through in their lifetime and how neuroscience informs our understanding of what happens in a traumatised brain. Fascinating!”
Forest School Site Manager

Why study with us?

Tavistock Education and Training offers a wide range of life-changing CPD and postgraduate courses, drawing on over a century of work at the forefront of mental health and wellbeing. As part of North London NHS Foundation Trust, we ground your learning in the latest clinical practice and research, with each course developed by our expert clinician-tutors, in the only NHS Trust registered with the Office for Students. We have made our training accessible and available to everyone to explore in your own time, at your own pace.

Course facilitators

Book your place today

This course bundle runs continuously. You can book a place at any time using our MyTAP booking system. Access begins the next working day after you’ve booked, when you will receive login details by email.

Book now
For a better viewing experience we recommend you upgrade your browser.