In today’s world, parents and caregivers are plagued by all sorts of different worries. We worry about how our children are doing in school, how they are being treated by others, how they feel about themselves, and how comfortably they fit into the world around them, among so many other concerns.
Many of these worries stem from a question that can bring on a whole new wave of anxiety: What do kids need from us to be their happiest, most confident selves? While there is no one-size-fits all answer to this question, a program called Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) has provided a framework that parents and caregivers can use to strengthen their relationships with the children in their care.
What is Circle of Security Parenting?
The COSP model was inspired by attachment theory, or the innate need of children to develop bonds with their caregivers. Three Washington-based mental health clinicians began developing Circle of Security Parenting as a “user-friendly” explanation of attachment theory that caregivers could easily understand and apply to their relationships with their children.
Over time, decades of research helped to fine-tune and test the model. Today, the Circle of Security Parenting toolkit includes visuals, videos, books, and trained facilitators who work with families looking to strengthen their caregiving skills.
Benefits of Circle of Security Parenting
The desired outcome of COSP is secure child-caregiver attachment, which is key to a child’s current and future well-being. Caregivers engage with the Circle of Security Parenting model to improve the likelihood that their children will:
Have increased empathy
Develop greater self-esteem
Build healthier relationships with caregivers and peers
Enter school more ready to learn
Successfully navigate emotional regulation
Grow into confident, compassionate, and secure adults
Circle of Security Parenting at Our Practice
We are deeply fortunate that Kaitlyn Corey, a licensed clinical social worker and the newest member of the Family & Child Therapy team, is a trained COSP facilitator. Kaitlyn has a breadth of experience working with parents and caregivers as they develop positive relationships with their children.
Kaitlyn enjoys supporting clients as they learn to recognize and respond to their child’s emotional needs, help their child navigate and regulate their emotions, foster their child’s confidence and sense of self-worth, and respect their child’s natural instincts and need for security.
Kaitlyn also emphasizes the value of strengthening relationship capacities rather than focusing solely on techniques to manage challenging behaviors. In addition, she shares that the Circle of Security Parenting tools can be particularly helpful in providing an easy-to-follow framework for neurodivergent children and/or caregivers.
We are so glad that Kaitlyn is sharing her wealth of Circle of Security Parenting knowledge with our team and our clients! Would you like to learn more about this new offering? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to supporting you as you work to build thriving, secure relationships with the children in your care.