MERTIL: My Early Relational Trauma Informed Learning
MERTIL suite of learning
The MERTIL program offers professional training in identifying and responding to early relational and attachment trauma within parent–child dyads and families. The program was created by infant trauma specialists, Professors Jennifer McIntosh AM and Louise Newman AM, along with a team of local and international experts.
The MERTIL project is based at the Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University and developed in partnership with Deakin University.
Learning options
Please select the learning options below to find out more and start your MERTIL learning journey.
Infant Led Family Healing Conversations
Family therapy and group work skills for building and healing early relational trust in young families
The arrival of a baby sparks both challenge and promise in family systems. It heralds a potential therapeutic turning point, for families approaching the caregiving role with histories of interpersonal trauma.
Overview
Infant Led Family Healing Conversations will provide new systemic conversational prompts for family conversations, to support new, safe reflection on building or re-establishing foundations of trust in care for a young child – born or unborn. Led by Prof Jenn McIntosh - Director of the Bouverie Centre, and a family therapist and infant mental health specialist.
Jenn will offer developmental and single session principles for infant-led brief family work, to create trauma transformative spaces for caregiving members of a family. The work rests on the MERTIL for Parents program and extensive allied research, which applies equally to intact, separated and diverse family structures. Video material features young children speaking to their caregiving system about being trust teachers, in the face of trauma.
Learning objectives
Participants will leave this workshop with:
- Understanding of a frame for infant led family work and possibilities for its application into their setting
- Completion of the MERTIL for Parents program
- The MERTIL for My Family Conversational Tools and Group Manual
Who should attend
Practitioners who work in infant mental health and building relational trust in dyads 0-5 years.
Including:
- Infant Mental Health Practitioners
- Maternal and Child Nurses & Midwives
- Psychologists/Psychiatrists
- Social Workers
- Family Support Workers
- Child Protection Workers
- And more!
Workshop Content
Workshop participants will:
- consider the possibilities of infant-led family work, through understanding the infant’s communications about relational security.
- look at ways of safely utilising their ‘voice’ to invite the family into the task of building the four pillars of trust: safety, security, repair and joy.
- discuss applications of this work to group and individual contexts, across many services, from primary care, maternal and child health, through to inpatient therapeutic services.
- apply your practice wisdom to the application of these ideas to a single session framework for trauma informed, infant-led family work, in your own service context.
Workshop Structure
NB: Please take careful note of the structure of the workshop:
| 9:00am | Live workshop Introduction |
| 9:30 am -10:30 am | MERTIL for Parents (online self-completion) To set the scene for the day, prior to the workshop all participants will be given free access to the online program, MERTIL for Parents. This is a pre-requisite for the workshop. We allow one full hour to complete this program at the beginning of the workshop. |
| 10:30 am | Break |
| 10:45 am | Live workshop commences – Part 1. A framework for Infant Led Family Work |
| 12:30 pm | Break |
| 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm | Live workshop continues - Part 2. Conversational Tools for Infant Led Family Work |
Register for Infant Led Family Healing Conversations
Booking for a team or large group?
Take advantage of our generous bulk discounts - enquire today.
Stay informed - Submit your expression of interest
Register your interest today and we’ll keep you updated on future workshops and learning opportunities
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Stay connected with the Bouverie Centre
Booking for a team or large group?
Take advantage of our generous bulk discounts - enquire today.
Stay informed - Submit your expression of interest
Register your interest today and we’ll keep you updated on future workshops and learning opportunities