Connect is a 10-week, manualized, attachment-based, trauma-informed parenting group intervention. It is designed for parents of pre-adolescents and adolescents who struggle with significant behavioral or mental health challenges.

Connect is an evidence-based intervention. There has been extensive research demonstrating that this program can effectively promote the mental health and wellbeing of both youth and parents, improve parent-child relationship, and reduce caregiving stress. Recently Connect was rated by the California Evidence Based Clearinghouse (CEBC) for Child Welfare, and ranked at the highest level of program evidence - Level 1 "Well Supported by Evidence", making it one of the very few trauma informed, attachment-based approaches to support vulnerable teens and their families to have demonstrated this level of empirical support and scope/sustainability of implementation, and this breadth of application across diverse cultures and contexts. (Note: CEBC is a USA-based organization for evidence-based programs and it offers a rigorous review of programs to ensure that those implemented are the highest caliber and most likely to be effective.)

Adaptations of Connect include Connect for kinship and foster parents, Reclaiming Connections (Connect for Indigenous caregivers), and Transforming Connections (Connect for parents of gender diverse youth). Connect has also been translated into French, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Mandarin, and Spanish languages.

For more information about Connect, as well as the ongoing research projects on Connect, please visit the Research page of this website.

If you wish to become a Connect group facilitator and run Connect groups, you are required to complete a two-step training and certification process.

Step 1, participate in a Connect facilitator training workshop (Online version: 3.5 hours/day for 6 days; OR in-person version: 3 full days). During this workshop, you will learn about the trauma and attachment foundations of Connect and the program content of Connect. You will also engage in small group interactive experiential practices with your fellow trainees.

Note: You will be required to review the Connect treatment manual to prepare for the workshop and the small group practice sessions.

The typical cost of workshop registration is $900 CAD for trainees in Canada and US and $1,000 CAD for trainees in other areas (cost subject to change).

Step 2, complete supervised group facilitation. During your first Connect group, you are required to record your group sessions each week, review the recordings, and complete a reflection form after each session. You will also engage in weekly supervision sessions with a certified Connect supervisor to reflect on group processes and program content. Typically facilitators are able to achieve certification by the end of their first Connect group.

The typical cost of supervision is $2,750 CAD per pair of new trainees running the same group during certification (cost subject to change).

After certification: Certified facilitators can proceed to run more Connect groups with other certified Connect facilitators without supervision. However, the Connect program reserves the right to request for recertification in special circumstances to ensure program fidelity.

Typically Connect facilitator training is best suited for individuals with a master’s degree in a relevant field of study and prior experience in:

1. working with children and families

2. group facilitation

3. trauma- and/or attachment-based treatment

However, practitioners who have not completed a master’s degree but have practiced extensively in these domains of practice may apply for training.

The Connect Facilitator Training Workshop is designed to be the first stage in training for practitioners who wish to run Connect groups in their community. However, registrants have also found that attending this workshop is informative for their own clinical practice outside of the Connect program.

When possible, registrants are recommended to register for the workshop with a colleague who also wishes to run Connect groups. This helps to prepare both registrants for the second stage of Connect facilitator training (running a group with supervision), as each Connect group requires two group facilitators.

If you are uncertain about whether this workshop is a good fit for your training goals, please reach out to us at connectattachmentprograms@gmail.com

Please note, if you are a practitioner in British Columbia, Canada: you may qualify for free Connect training held in B.C. if you are affiliated with a government-funded mental health or educational service.

For all other practitioners, the cost of the training workshop is typically 900-1000 Canadian dollars per person, depending on your shipping address. For the cost of additional required training and supervision post-workshop, please see the next section “After completing the workshop, what do I need to do to obtain supervision and get certified?”.

Supervisor arrangement

Once you complete the full Connect facilitator training workshop (Online: 6 half days; In-person: 3 days), please reach out to us at connectattachmentprograms@gmail.com so that we can arrange a certified Connect supervisor to supervise you during your first Connect group.

Supervision includes pre-group consultation, review of all session recordings, and weekly supervision sessions over the course of one group.

The typical cost of supervision is $2,750 Canadian dollars for a pair of new facilitators during their first group together (Note: the cost is the same if only one of the facilitators in the group require certification).

Staff requirement to run Connect group online

If you wish to run eConnect groups (i.e., Connect groups online), you will need a support person to manage the online platform while you facilitate the group so you can focus on parents. This support person can be staff from your agency (e.g., practicum students, admin staff, clinical staff who wish to learn know more about Connect etc.). They do NOT need to have prior Connect training or significant technological skills.

Both group facilitators and the tech support person need to attend a 3-hour eConnect tech training workshop before the start of their first group, ideally before the recruitment of parents.

For agencies with 4-10 participants for the tech workshop, the cost is $750 for the whole group. For other individuals who wish to complete the training, please sign up for posted workshops below or reach out to connectattachmentprograms@gmail.com to inquire.

Payment for post-workshop training

Payment for supervision, as well as payment for the support staff training (online group only), can be arranged when you start to develop a plan to run a Connect group post-workshop via email at connectattachmentprograms@gmail.com

Translated/Adapted versions of Connect

Translated/adapted versions of the Connect manual are available to support the running of such groups to meet the unique needs of diverse populations. Where needed, the relevant manual can be purchased during the group planning phase.

Advanced training (in the form of group supervision) is available for Connect for Kinship & Foster Parents, Transforming Connections, Reclaiming Connections, and Connect for Mandarin-speaking families.

If you wish to gain an overview of the Connect program, you can sign up for the “Introduction to Connect Workshop”. This would allow you to observe and participate in the first two days of the online Connect facilitator training workshop (first day if the workshop is in-person).

This introductory session provides a in-depth review of the foundations of the Connect program, its structure, key targets of intervention, mechanisms of change and evidence. You will also participate in segments of the first four Connect sessions.

Please note that Connect and Connect training is a trademarked program, and completion of the full Connect facilitator training is required for the purpose of Connect facilitator training and certification.

If you decide to obtain the Connect facilitator training after completing this introductory workshop, you may sign up for future Connect facilitator training workshops with a $100 discount.

Once registered in our workshop, you are qualified for a 100% refund if you cancel your registration 2 weeks before the first day of the workshop. If cancelling one or two weeks before the start of the workshop, you are eligible to a 50% refund. No refund will be issued if your registration is cancelled less than one week before the workshop start date.

Please note that if a Connect treatment manual has been mailed to you, the delivery fee and applicable service fee will be deducted from your refund. AND you will be responsible for mailing the treatment manual back to us within one month after the cancellation. NO REFUND will be issued if the manual is not mailed back to us within one month after the cancellation.

If the workshop is cancelled by us, you will receive a full refund. If a manual was mailed to you, we will make arrangements to pick it up from you and you will not be responsible for the shipping costs.