Professionals


We believe that a fundamental capacity unique to human beings is the ability to reflect upon the mental sates or intentions of one's own or another's behavior. This essential processing mechanism, often referred to as "reflective functioning," [1] enables a person to understand that mental activity (thoughts, feelings, needs, intentions, and desires), which we cannot directly observe, underlie all human behavior. It is this understanding that allows a person to effectively respond to the subtle, often nonverbal cues that are essential to interpersonal relationships. Without this capacity, it is very difficult to interact with others in a manner that is sensitive and emotionally responsive. Healthy parent-child relationships, in particular, are characterized by the caregiver's ability to be reflective in the context of the confusing, emotionally charged interactions that regularly occur within every family.

Reflective Parenting describes an approach to parent education and development that emerged following the groundbreaking work of Peter Fonagy and his colleagues at the Tavistock Clinic in London. As Fonagy described it, "reflective function is the... uniquely human capacity to make sense of each other."[1] Fonagy's work has more recently been extended directly into the realm of parent-child relationships, and a growing set of research studies and parenting models have focused on the concept of "parental reflective functioning." Parental reflective functioning has been found to be an essential parenting skill associated with improved parent-child relationships, increased capacity for emotional and behavioral regulation in children, and improved cognitive development.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Reflective parenting empowers parents by helping them to ponder, reflect upon, and learn about the intentions and motivations that lie behind their children's behavior. As parents begin to better understand and respond to the underlying meaning of children's communications, the attachment relationship becomes more secure and children's behavior becomes more manageable. Children engage with their parents in meaningful ways in their efforts to communicate attachment needs. The parent-child relationship involves an exchange of both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication that often involve subtle and unconscious messages, and ultimately forms the quality and tone of the relationship in a way that has profound influence on the child's development (and on the continuing emotional growth of the parent). As children are given the opportunity to see their own internal states reflected upon by their caregivers, they begin to develop an understanding of their own minds. With parents as guides, children make links between affect, behavior and the body. It is this process that is critical to a child's emerging sense of self.

The Reflective Parenting Program offers various levels of training for clinicians to learn the underlying theory and application of this experiential model. Please see the calendar for upcoming trainings in the Southern CA region or contact us for information on how to schedule training in your area.

For more information about the Reflective Parenting Program, please download our brochure

  1. Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E., Target, M. (2002). Affect Regulation, Mentalization and the Development of the Self. New York: Other Press.
  2. Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Moran, G., Steele, H., & Higgit, A. (1991). The capacity for understanding mental states: the reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 13, 201-218.
  3. Grienenberger, J. (2006). Group process as a holding environment facilitating the development of the parental reflective function: Commentary on paper by Arietta Slade. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 26 (4), 668-675.
  4. Grienenberger J, Kelly K, Slade, A. (2005). Maternal reflective functioning, mother-infant affective communication and infant attachment: Exploring the link between mental states and observed caregiving behavior in the intergenerational transmission of attachment. Attachment and Human Development 7(3), 299-311.
  5. Grienenberger, J. & Slade, A. (2002). Maternal reflective functioning, mother-infant affective communication, and infant attachment: Implications for psychodynamic treatment with children and families. Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, 12(3), 20-24.
  6. Meins, E. Fernyhough C., Fradley, E., & Tuckey, M. (2001). Rethinking maternal sensitivity: mother's comments on infant's mental processes predict security of attachment at 12 months. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 637-648.
  7. Slade, A. (2006). Reflective Parenting Programs: Theory and Development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry 26, 640-657.
  8. Slade, A., Grienenberger, J., Bernbach, E., Levy, D., & Locker, A. (2005). Maternal reflective functioning, attachment, and the transmission gap: A preliminary study. Attachment and Human Development, 7(3), 283-298.
  9. Slade, A., Sadler, L., de Dios-Kenn, C., Webb, D., Ezepchick, J., & Mayes, L. (2005). Minding the Baby: A reflective Parenting Program. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 60, 74-100.