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The most critical thing that parent can do is to shape a secure attachment style in your child.

And yet so few parents understand this or know how to achieve it.

“The quality of early attachment shapes the blueprint for how we will relate to others throughout our lives.”

Dr. Diane Poole Heller

Attachment styles are often passed down through generations, as children model the emotional responses and caregiving behaviors they experience from their parents and caregivers. These patterns of attachment, whether secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive avoidant, or fearful-avoidant, shape how individuals relate to others throughout their lives.
However, parents and caregivers have the power to break these cycles and create healthier family dynamics. Family workshops provide a supportive environment to explore these patterns and build stronger, more resilient relationships within the home.

Find out your parenting attachment style:

Parent Attachment Quiz

Parent/Caregiver Support Group

Join the Attachment Matters for Parent/Caregiver Community!

Your child’s emotional security starts with you. We’re here to help you build the strongest possible relationship with your child of any age using expert-backed strategies based on attachment science.

What You Get Inside:

  • Expert Parenting Guidance – Get answers from top therapists & educators
  • Private Parent Forum – Ask questions & receive real-time support
  • Exclusive Workshops – Live & on-demand training to strengthen your parenting skills (additional fee for premium content)
  • Live Q&A Calls – Monthly video calls with an attachment-informed therapist (optional upgrade)
  • Special Event Access – Get invited to exclusive live & virtual events
Join Now!

Parenting workshops

To better equipped parents and caregivers, our parenting program is composed of two workshops.

Workshop 1: Understanding Attachment Theory:
Building Stronger Connections with Your Child

This 90-minute workshop will introduce participants to attachment theory and its vital role in fostering emotionally healthy, resilient, and happy children. Through understanding the different attachment styles, parents and caregivers will gain practical tools for recognizing their child’s attachment style and how to respond in a way that supports their emotional growth. The session will conclude with a brief discussion on earned secure attachment as an inspiring way to foster growth in both children and adults.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand why Attachment Theory is crucial for raising emotionally healthy and happy children.
  • Identify the four different attachment styles.
  • Recognize the attachment style of your child.
  • Learn strategies to support your child based on their attachment style.
  • Briefly explore the concept of earned secure attachment as a positive pathway for growth.

Workshop 2 Part 1: The Science of Emotional Regulation
Understanding Your Child’s Brain and Attachment

This 90-minute interactive workshop dives deep into how attachment styles develop and, most importantly, what parents can do right now to support their children’s journey toward secure attachment. Parents will learn the neuroscience behind why insecurely attached children struggle with emotional regulation, understand the “zone of tolerance” concept, and leave with concrete, attachment-style-specific strategies they can implement immediately. Through hands-on activities and visual models, parents will grasp how internal factors—particularly emotional regulation—serve as the cornerstone for shifting attachment patterns and fostering resilience in their children.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how each attachment style forms, including the core wounds, unmet needs, and coping mechanisms that emerge from early relational experiences
  • Recognize the possibility of change: Identify specific internal factors (especially emotional regulation) that can shift a children’s position on the attachment spectrum toward greater security
  • Grasp the neuroscience: Apply knowledge of brain development, the hand-brain model, epigenetics, and somatic science to understand why emotional regulation is particularly challenging for insecurely attached children
  • Assess regulation capacity: Distinguish between the zones of tolerance for different attachment styles and recognize when their teen is dysregulated
  • Take action: Implement tailored, attachment-style-specific strategies to support their children’s emotional regulation and movement toward secure attachment

Workshop 2 Part 2: The Science of Emotional Regulation
Understanding Your Child’s Brain and Attachment

This 90-minute interactive workshop focuses on the most powerful external factor in your children’s attachment journey: YOU. Parents will discover how their own attachment style impacts their ability to stay regulated during their children’s emotional storms, learn the art of co-regulation, and practice communication strategies that build connection rather than create distance. Through hands-on role-plays and real-world scenarios, you’ll master the rupture-repair process and understand how to create a home environment where secure attachment can flourish. The session concludes with a personal attachment style assessment, helping you understand your own patterns so you can parent more intentionally and effectively.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how each attachment style forms, including the core wounds, unmet needs, and coping mechanisms that emerge from early relational experiences
  • Recognize the possibility of change: Identify specific internal factors (especially emotional regulation) that can shift a children’s position on the attachment spectrum toward greater security
  • Grasp the neuroscience: Apply knowledge of brain development, the hand-brain model, epigenetics, and somatic science to understand why emotional regulation is particularly challenging for insecurely attached children
  • Assess regulation capacity: Distinguish between the zones of tolerance for different attachment styles and recognize when their teen is dysregulated
  • Take action: Implement tailored, attachment-style-specific strategies to support their children’s emotional regulation and movement toward secure attachment

Workshop 3: The Practice of Co-Regulation—Communication, Repair & Becoming Your Child’s Secure Base

This 90-minute interactive workshop focuses on the most powerful external factor in your children’s attachment journey: YOU. Parents will discover how their own attachment style impacts their ability to stay regulated during their children’s emotional storms, learn the art of co-regulation, and practice communication strategies that build connection rather than create distance. Through hands-on role-plays and real-world scenarios, you’ll master the rupture-repair process and understand how to create a home environment where secure attachment can flourish. The session concludes with a personal attachment style assessment, helping you understand your own patterns so you can parent more intentionally and effectively.

Learning Objectives:

  • Regulate themselves first: Recognize how their own attachment style impacts their regulation capacity and implement specific strategies to stay grounded during their children’s dysregulation
  • Co-regulate effectively: Understand and practice the five-step co-regulation process, adapting their approach based on their children’s attachment style
  • Communicate with connection: Use attachment-informed language and the F.E.E.L. framework to maintain connection during conflict and foster emotional safety
  • Repair ruptures skillfully: Execute the five-step repair process to transform inevitable conflicts into opportunities for building trust and security
  • Create a secure relational environment: Implement the five pillars of secure attachment (predictability, attunement, safety, autonomy support, and repair culture) in their daily family life
  • Know themselves: Identify their own adult attachment style and understand how it shows up in their parenting patterns
Learn More

Workshop 1 Impact

100% parents & caregivers would recommend this workshop

84.9% found that these workshops had a high Impact on their Parent/Caregivers-Child relationship

71% of parents and caregivers indicated improved knowledge of Attachment Theory post-workshop

Parent Testimonials

“The Family Workshop is a good balance between theory and practical application.

Parents remained engaged and interested.”

Loriann Casillas

Berkeley High School Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator Berkeley USD

“It has been a wonderful experience working with Heather and the Attachment Matters’ team!“

Loriann Casillas

Berkeley High School Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator Berkeley USD

“Learning about attachment styles is life-changing information!”

Savannah Henry

District-wide Mental Health Counselor Los Gatos USD
I’ve been to a lot of these parent nights, and this is by far the best!

Parent

Berkeley High School Berkeley USD
Excellent

Parent

Berkeley High School Berkeley USD
Great practical activities. Thank you for including “hands on” strategies we can implement in our lives and in our children’s lives. Well done!

Parent

Ross Middle School ABC USD
I enjoyed it I feel that it would be helpful if it was a monthly workshop.

Parent

Ross Middle School ABC USD
Great presentation!

Parent

Ross Middle School ABC USD
Excellent Presenter

Parent

School of Engineering & Sciences Sacramento City USD
It was the right depth for an intro workshop.

Parent

Fisher Middle School Los Gatos USD
This presentation is an important foundation for everyone to understand human interactions!

English Teacher

Highlands Community Charter School
I’m reflecting on my own attachment style and that of my family and friends.

Naomi Davenport Blanco

Community School Coordinator Highlands Community Charter School

Parent/Caregiver Coaching Service

Parenting can feel lonely, overwhelming, or confusing.

We offer one-on-one support to help you find clarity, learn practical tools, and build the confidence needed to foster secure attachment. Together, we’ll equip your children to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Together we’ll set them up to grow into teens and adults who build strong, healthy relationships in every area of life.

If you need personalized support, we’re here for you, ready to coach you step-by-step on your journey. To learn more, schedule your free consultation.

Learn More

About Parenting Coach Heather

Heather Thompson is the CEO of Attachment Matters, LLC and holds an Integrated Attachment Theory Coaching™ Certification from the Personal Development School, specializing in relationship coaching focused on attachment theory.

With 25 years in education, Heather holds a Psychology degree and California teaching credential. After years of celebrated classroom teaching, she transitioned to professional development, working with leading educational organizations including HMH, Savvas, IXL Learning, and Curriculum Associates. Known for her dynamic training style and inspiring leadership, Heather has built a reputation as both mentor and manager.

Her expertise lies in crafting professional development programs that drive meaningful change. Most recently, she served as a Partner Success Manager, collaborating with school districts to implement educational solutions.

Free Consultation