Training the trainers: Innovative strategies for teaching relationship concepts and skills to infant/family professionals

Abstract

Work with infants, toddlers, and their families takes place within the important relationships established on behalf of the child—relationships between the child and parent, the child and professional, and the parent and professional, and among professionals themselves. This article presents a rationale for the importance of relationships as a focus for training. It then describes six innovative training strategies for teaching relationship concepts and skills that were developed and used with trainers of infant/family professionals and paraprofessionals as part of ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Clinical Infant Programs’ City TOTS (training of trainers) project.