The Circle of Security

Developing Attachment and Relationships

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The Circle of Security

Have you ever responded to your child’s behaviour in a way that you are not proud of?

Perhaps you have experienced guilt and shame after losing your cool at a toddler’s tantrum?

We have all made many mistakes. After all, parenting is certainly the toughest job in the world. Thankfully, there is a parenting approach that doesn’t expect us to be perfect parents. The Circle of Security Parenting™ programme gives parents and caregivers the tools they need to develop strong relationships and secure children.

The Circle of Security is an 8-week programme, for parents (or anyone in a parenting role), delivered by highly qualified clinical psychologists, using a combination of video clips, discussion and practical tasks and activities. Parents will be guided along a journey where they can reflect on their own experiences as a child and learn about why they respond to situations in the way that they do. Through the programme, each parent will be given the information and tools that they need to be able to:

  • Recognise that their child’s behaviour is actually a communication of some kind
  • ‘Be with’ their child through strong and difficult emotions
  • Repair the relationship when a rupture has occurred

Through the Circle of Security Parenting™ programme, we will develop a clear understanding that for a child to learn effectively, they must feel secure and safe and have developed a “secure attachment”. With this “secure attachment” comes the confidence and curiosity to become more independent, and go out and explore the world. This is because a child with a “secure attachment” knows that whenever they need to, they can return to that safe, secure base for comfort, reassurance and support.

A video created by Circle of Security International: Early Intervention Program for Parents & Children
 (https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com / https://www.circleofsecurity.com)

Video credits: Glen Cooper, Kent Hoffman, & Bert Powell

The programme is built on over 60 years of research. The outcomes clearly demonstrate that children with secure attachments are more able to:

      • Enjoy happiness with their parents
      • Feel less anger at their parents
      • Turn to their parents for help when in trouble
      • Solve problems on their own
      • Get along better with friends
      • Have lasting friendships
      • Solve problems with friends
      • Have better relationships with brothers and sisters
      • Have higher self-esteem
      • Know that most problems will have an answer
      • Trust that good things will come their way
      • Trust the people they love
      • Know how to be kind to those around them

 

mood challenges

Topics Covered

  • Week 1: The concept of the Circle
  • Week 2: Exploring our children’s need all the way around the Circle
  • Week 3: “Being with” – helping our children manage their emotions
  • Week 4: “Being with” – infants on the Circle
  • Week 5: The path to security
  • Week 6: Exploring our own struggles
  • Week 7: Rupture and repair
  • Week 8: Summary and our own celebration
social difficulties

Location and Amenities

  • The group will likely be held online. We have found that online groups can offer the flexibility parents need so that they can join our group. 
  • We use Microsoft Teams / Zoom
  • We ask that all parents joining us do so from a device with a microphone and camera
 behavioural concerns

Timings

  • Each session will be between 90 minutes and 2 hours
  • Each session will start at 10am

 

mood challenges

Dates

Our group will run on Saturday mornings, 10am – 12pm
(the introduction week will run from 10am – 10.30am)

 

  • Please enquire for the dates of the next group
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Costs

  • Our group is charged at £700, for two parents or carers
  • We can offer a 10% discount if just one parent joins the group – £630.
  • This cost includes all the materials, workbooks, and resources, and guidance from our clinical psychologists. We will be available between sessions too.
  • Our group has been designed to be an “all-in-one package”. Each session builds on the knowledge learnt from the previous session, meaning that our only offer is to attend all sessions. If you can’t make it every week, perhaps our next group will be more suitable.