Tresillian warmly welcomes you to connect, learn and reflect on embedding relational trust when supporting parents struggling with mental health vulnerabilities.

The research of the last 75 years confirms that parental emotional health is key to supporting infants and children to develop optimally and fulfil their potential. However, we know that supporting parents to recover, whilst essential, isn’t enough to repair and nurture the parent-infant relationship. Consistent, empathic, and sensitive parent-infant/child relationships based on trust and security, are key to this.

It can be difficult in the hubbub of daily life to find the time to reflect on how we can embody this knowledge to support parents, infants, children and families. This conference aims to clear space in our working lives to delve into, reflect and make better sense of how we can build relational trust in our own lives, with our teams and colleagues and in response to the needs of the families we serve, particularly when mental health challenges are present.

The Conference will occur over two days, including a day of preconference workshops, and will include the wisdom and insights of international, interstate and local researcher clinicians exploring how to observe, understand and support optimal parent-infant relational health.

Day 1:  Pre-Conference Workshops

The workshops cover the findings presented through the lens of video microanalysis of mother-infant interactions (Professor Beebe, Columbia University, NYC), how a newly arrived infant ‘invites’ new perspectives in family therapy (Professor McIntosh, La Trobe University, MERTIL team), Indigenous perspectives on welcoming the infant, and intergenerational trauma dynamics (Dr Kim Jones, Melbourne University), engaging from a psychodynamic lens in brief therapies (Associate Professor Loyola McLean, USYD and Brain Mind Centre) and mapping relational trust for professional and personal development (Drs Jackie Amos and Liz Coventry, Centacare).

Day 2: Keynote Speakers, Panel discussion and Self Reflection

Day 2 will provide further opportunities to hear from keynote speakers elaborating on these concepts and provide time for a wider panel discussion on the learnings from the conference. Wellbeing activities will be woven through the conference to support your engagement and reflection on the conversations shared, and there will be multiple opportunities to network and share ideas and thoughts.

Finally, as the Conference comes to a close on Friday afternoon/evening there will be an opportunity to rest, relax, and share a drink and bite to eat on the wonderful Tresillian roof terrace at the newly established Wollstonecraft Education Centre.

We are very excited to meet with you and enlarge our conversations about parental mental wellbeing, healing and relational trust.