How does Connect help?

  • "Connect helped me to see things from my kid's perspective and ways that her past shapes her behaviors. I can now see what I can do differently to hopefully prevent things from getting out of control."

    —A parent who attended Connect

  • "Connect kept my attention! I didn't want to miss a session even when I had a lot going on at home. The facilitators were really supportive and 'real' with us. Normally I just sit back in training sessions, but in Connect, the facilitators were really engaging and it was easy to participate."

    —A parent who attended Connect

  • "Connect really brought it into 'I hear you, I'm listening and I'm sitting in it with you'. As foster parents, I think that is probably the biggest key of all when these kiddos come into your home. Connect has been such a benefit to us and if I could become an advocate for foster parents, this course was so vital and should be introduced to all foster parents."

    —A Connect for Kinship and Foster Parents group facilitator

Therapeutic Goals of Connect

The Connect Parent Group focuses on strengthening the building blocks of secure attachment between caregivers and their children. This includes helping caregivers to:

  • better understand their child’s development and behaviour, including the feelings, needs, and relationship concerns that may underlie their behaviour;

  • find new ways to recognize and respond to their child’s needs

  • reflect on their own and their child’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences (reflective functioning);

  • manage difficult emotions in themselves and support their child in managing strong emotions (dyadic affect regulation); and

  • build a relationship based on mutual understanding, cooperation, and connection.