Book your Tickets and Workshops below. Workshops allocated on s first come basis as numbers are capped for each workshop. Sales are steadily increasing as we anticipate a 'Sold Out Event.'

Irish Attachment in Action's National Conference, 'Why Attachment Mattters from Trauma to Hope.' This is going to be something special with Practice Leads from across Ireland delivering 6 workshops and 3 keynote presentations. across a range of issues as requested by members and followers of IAIA. (...

A popular infographic with IAIA followers.🤗

Good blog from Psychology Today. "It’s been established for some time that consistently negative parenting behaviors lead to difficulty for children, both during childhood and later in life. It’s easy to assume that the opposite would be true of more positive parenting behaviors. But does the data bear that out? “We were trying to see if that experience of warmth, affection and love in a child’s life is really important or not,” VanderWeele explained. The study concludes that it is.
“We now have reasonably strong evidence that the experience of parental warmth in childhood, 40-50 years prior, really does shape various aspects of flourishing such as happiness, self-acceptance, social relationships and being more likely to contribute to the community,” he went on. “The effect of having loving, affectionate parents was stronger on these aspects than on a sense of purpose in life. But we see that parental warmth led to more happiness and social acceptance, as well as less depression, anxiety and drug use.” ... See more

New research links affectionate parents with a happy and flourishing adulthood.

Short read with a good Infographic "In societies the world over, teenagers are blamed for staying up late, then struggling to wake up in the morning. While it’s true that plenty of teenagers (like many adults) do have bad bedtime habits, researchers have long since proven that this global problem has a biological cause.
In 2004, researchers at the University of Munich proved that teenagers actually have a different sense of time. Their study showed that the 24-hour cycle which determines when you wake and sleep gets later during your teens, reaching its latest point by the age of 20." ... See more

Science shows that early starts can be bad for teenagers' health. Schools and universities would be better off starting at 10am.

Short Read "Sometimes the bedtime battle can make a mama feel like it would be easier to just let the kids fall asleep whenever they want, but there are huge benefits to a consistent bedtime routine, and one big drawback to letting kids head to bed whenever.
A study out of the UK looked at the bedtime habits of 10,000 kids when they were between 3 and 7 years old and found that kids with non-regular bedtimes had more behavioral difficulties than those with a predictable bedtime routine.
The study was published in 2013 in the journal Pediatrics, and found that about 20% of parents said their 3-year-old did not have a consistent bedtime. The researchers found that kids who did not have a set bedtime scored higher when it comes to things like unhappiness, being inconsiderate and fighting. Those scores came not only from parent reports, but also from teachers of school-age kids, who rated the behavior of kids without regular bedtimes as more problematic." ... See more

Not having a bedtime can basically give a kid jet lag without the travel.

Short Read. 'If you don’t know that a newborn baby prefers her mother’s voice over another woman’s voice, you may not talk to your baby. If you don’t know that brain immaturity means that children are simply unable to begin to control their behaviour until the preschool years, you’ll be more likely to discipline your child for continuing to do what you’ve told him not to. A more effective strategy would be to distract him or get him interested in something else.
When parents learn amazing facts about babies’ psychological development, it transforms how they see their babies. So giving parents knowledge about what their babies can and can’t do will make them more attuned parents without parenting even being mentioned." ... See more

Understand what's going on in your child's brain and it could help your parenting.

Short Read 'Children in and on the edge of care will benefit from £84 million of new investment for projects designed to strengthen and support families - marking the 30th anniversary of the Children Act by reaffirming its core principle that, where possible, children are best brought up with their parents.
Up to 20 councils will receive funding to help improve their practice, supporting families to stay together wherever appropriate, so that fewer children need to be taken into care and giving them the best chance to succeed in life.' ... See more

£84m for projects that support families, marking 30th anniversary of the Children Act

The full report PDF can be downloaded here.

This report identifies and discusses evidence about the relationship between poverty and child abuse and neglect.

Children can also teach us!

Short read. "It turns out my mother intuitively knew that it’s more important to stay grounded in the fundamentals of positive parenting. “Research consistently finds that children benefit from parents who are sensitive, responsive, affectionate, consistent, and communicative” says education professor Stephanie Reich, another member of the Connected Learning Lab who specializes in parenting, media, and early childhood. One study shows measurable cognitive benefits from warm and less restrictive parenting. ... See more

Everyone frets about screen time, but what they should really be focusing on is something called connected parenting.

Short Read mmm!..."But research shows 'zombie' children spend nearly five hours every day gawping at electronic devices.
Researchers from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia say time spent on smartphones is a serious but avoidable cause of mental health issues.
"Half of mental health problems develop by adolescence," professors Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell said. "There is a need to identify factors linked to mental health issues that are [able to be changed] in this population, as most are difficult or impossible to influence. How children and adolescents spend their leisure time is [easier] to change."
Parents and teachers must cut the amount of time children spend online or watching television while they're studying, socialising, eating or even playing sport." ... See more

Smartphones and tablets are causing issues for kids as young as two years old.

How policy creates adversity.News Item "Some of the “poorest single parents” could be forced to give up work as changes to the subsidised childcare programmes, due to take effect from October, will see some lose up to €80 a week.
In one case a single mother, working in healthcare and taking home €26,000 a year, has said the €145 a week she gets towards care for her eight-year-old son will be cut to €63.75 per week.
This is because the Community Childcare Subvention programme she and her son are currently entitled to is, along with other childcare schemes, being phased out from October. A new “streamlined” National Childcare Scheme was announced in last October’s budget by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone to replace all current schemes." ... See more

Changes to subsidised childcare programmes will see some parents lose up to €80 a week

Major Cultural change required to do this and hold this organisationally. “Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is more than a treatment modality or theory. TIC causes a shift in thinking about how we view people and social problems and can be added to any existing therapy. TIC, at its core, seeks to understand human behavior, coping mechanisms (both positive and negative), and any problems that result by examining traumatic events throughout life. TIC aims to understand one’s current functioning in light of past events and does not see presenting problems as needing to be fixed, but rather attempts to understand why these problems exist in the first place.” ... See more

Social workers work with people with long histories of abuse and violence. Even when not serving the most vulnerable, we may be working with people who have experienced a traumatic event.

🤗exactly

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201502/what-is-mindfulness-and-how-does-it-work

Understanding mindfulness and how it works.

Dr Maeve Hurley pictured below who will be presenting one of our conference workshops on ‘Change and Transition’. Check out our full conference program here: https://iaia.ie/irish-attachment-in-action-national-conference-2019-the-helix-dcu-dublin/

#WorkplaceRelationships are so important, not least because of the amount of time we spend with our colleagues. This is why we are working to develop a Workplace Relationship Scale to measure these #relationships and also working to improve them. #WorkWell19

Good read “This ability to cope with adversity, often referred to as psychological resilience, has been examined in hundreds of research studies though we still have a limited understanding of what makes some people more resilient than others. Even identifying resilient people can be a problem since they often don’t develop the mental health problems that might otherwise bring them to the attention of health professionals. But is there more to resilience than simply not developing mental health problems? What about the people who are able to grow and flourish because of their ability to cope effectively with what they have experienced.” ... See more

New research explores the psychology of resilience

Interesting Read “it’s not the trauma itself that causes the most long-term damage; it is how the trauma wreaks havoc on the psyche and prevents reintegration into a normal, healthy life where other people and unknown situations are seen as benevolent.
You’ve probably heard this before in different ways: The opposite of addiction, is not sobriety, it’s connection. The foremost pillar of happiness is a sense of belonging and purpose. Cultures that are more communal are more mentally healthy as a whole. People who are alone often die earlier and get sicker before they do.” ... See more

Human connection is an important part of recovering from trauma and thriving. Understanding how connection works and giving it authentically can help us connect to others and ourselves.

Short Read “It seems like when our kids are upset and need us the most are the exact moments we aren’t prepared for — the moments we ourselves are tired, stressed, sad, or triggered.
It’s exactly those moments that I feel like my words fail me — I search for the right thing to say and it escapes me. It is also exactly at those moments when our children need us the most — to be able to lead them through the emotion, through the storm.” ... See more

Our words can hurt or heal when our kids are upset. Build your child up with these 10 phrases that will coach your child through big emotions and connect with their hearts. Give your child the gift of emotional intelligence and set them up for life.

Lovely article,short read. “When a toddler is having a meltdown or a child is throwing an emotional tantrum, they are not being stubborn. They are simply losing control of their emotion. They cannot self-regulate.
Emotion regulation works like a car. In a car, the gas pedal and the brake work separately to control the speed. In our nervous system, the arousal branch and the calming branch are the two systems that work separately to control our emotion.
When a child cries intensely, the arousal branch (gas pedal) is overactive while the calming branch (the brake) is underactive. Imagine driving while pressing the gas pedal all the way and not applying the brake. You have a runaway car.” ... See more

See why a 20-second hug can improve your health and help your child grow smarter, happier, and more resilient.

Helpful 🤗

Free Admission opportunities across Ireland and Abroad for Health and Social Care Professionals. Venue Location: Dublin

Salaries of €46216 DOE

Nice Read with Tips. "Children who are displaying problematic behaviors such as having difficulty managing their emotions, having aggressive behaviors, or who often act whiny or needy may benefit from attachment-based activities. This is particularly true if the child has experienced challenges during the first few years of life. Attachment-based activities can also be helpful for children who may have experienced some trauma or even less severe stressful situations. These activities are even useful for well-behaving, happy children.
Attachment-based activities are essential and beneficial for all children (and adults, as well, which is a topic for another post)" ... See more

I tried to teach my child with books. He gave me only puzzled looks. I used clear words to discipline, But I never seemed to win. Despairingly, I turned aside. "How shall I reach this child?" I cried. Into my hand he put the key: "Come," he said, "Play with me." —Author unknown (adapted by Aletha ...

Great initiative and open to the public!

You are invited to a talk on 'Mindfulness in relation to Parenting' in Killorglin Community College on Thursday night next at 7:30pm. You will leave with:

More hope & trust in yourself.
The experience of guided meditation.
How to continue seeking support.
How 'unhelpful' unrestricted access to the internet is for teenagers.

About the facilitator:
Harriet McGuigan is a psychotherapist with a background in education and she works with adolescents, trauma survivors and parents in Ireland and globally.

You can read more about her work on www.harrietmcguigan.com

Please request to join her private facebook group called ‘Mindful Peeps’

Follow her on Facebook: – Harriet McGuigan Psychotherapy ... See more

Heart Break Tuesday. interesting read. "Our brains appear to process relationship breakups in the same regions as physical pain. This doesn't however, mean that romantic rejection causes actual physical pain. Rather, your brain is signaling that both are important events to pay attention to. There may be an evolutionary reason for this. The function of pain is to alert the person to physical danger or harm so she can take protective action. In the animal kingdom, one's chances of avoiding predators are much higher as part of a group than alone, therefore social rejection may have been an actual threat to physical survival for our early ancestors. If this is the case, it might partially explain how difficult it is for many people to let go of the ex-partner and move on." ... See more

Is the Pain All in the Brain?

Printable Poster 🤗

Very interesting Read. "When a parent plays and makes eye contact with the baby, behavioral synchrony is created between them, according to the research model. Both sides are on the same wavelength. Consequently, their brains literally switch to the same wavelength. “You have one developed brain, one not, one connected, one not,” Feldman explains. “This synchrony is critical for the child because it introduces him to the social world.”
Both brains activate the same areas, release the same hormones, and the heartbeats are also synchronized. The connection between the oxytocin and dopamine systems is created in the baby and strengthened in the parent. Thus, infants learn during early childhood to enjoy another person’s company, to want to be in contact with other people. Anyone who didn’t experience this synchrony with their parent at the right time will have more difficulty creating the valuable connection between the bonding system and the reward system later in life. His whole life journey may be one of hardship. He’s liable to seek his dopamine in other sources, like cocaine, which floods the brain with this neurotransmitter." ... See more

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Irish Attachment in Action's National Conference, 'Why Attachment Mattters from Trauma to Hope.' This is going to be something special with Practice Leads from across Ireland delivering 6 workshops and 3 keynote presentations. across a range of issues as requested by members and followers of IAIA. (...