Workshop Objectives:

At the end of this 12-hour workshop / series, you will be able to:
• Understand what to expect during the transition to parenthood
• Describe child development in the first year
• Create strategies to co-parent with your partner
• Learn ways to improve communication
• Demonstrate how to strengthen friendship, intimacy and conflict regulation skills
• Recognize the signs of postpartum mood, anxiety, and adjustment disorders and be aware of support or treatment options

Workshop Goals:

• Learn how to maintain relationship satisfaction after having a baby

• Reduce relationship hostility and increase affection

• Promote positive parent-baby interactions

• Promote quality involvement for both parents

• Reduce the incidence or severity of postpartum mood disorders

Outline:

• Moving through time together: the transition to parenthood

• Building love maps: knowing each other

• Share fondness and admiration

• Turn towards: build an emotional bank account

• Maintain the positive perspective

• Ritualize the daily stress reducing conversation

• Flooding, self-soothing and taking breaks

• Recognize the four warning signs of relationship meltdown

• Practice the four steps of constructive problem solving

• Honor mothers and fathers

• Recognize the importance of fathers

• Understand the baby blues, postpartum mood disorders, and other mental health issues

• Connect with your children

• Preserve intimacy and romance

• Create shared meaning and values

This is a 12-hour program. I like to think of my online version as a weekly date night as you prepare for your baby. This is a weekly 2-hour class for 6 weeks. The current class schedule is available here.