Sitting within the School of Education, this course investigates the impact of attachment, adversity, trauma and mental health difficulties, equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge to support children, young people and adults across all settings. The course will be delivered in person at our Weekend Schools (Exton Park, Chester), or live online Thursday afternoon sessions (Distance Learning).

All three modules are underpinned by theory to support a critical understanding of key research and current debate in a rapidly growing field. There are regular opportunities for reflection on professionals' own practice and experience. We explore the role attachment has in developing the child's inner working model of themselves and how this may influence their view of the world, including the relationships they have with others. We discuss how traumatic experiences can affect the brain development of young people and consider how this may impact on their ability to learn within an education setting. The impact insecure attachments and traumatic experience can have on mental health and behaviour are also explored. Bringing the theory together, we consider the role of the professional in mitigating the impact of these experiences through relational approaches. We explore attachment-aware, trauma-informed practices and how they can be used to nurture positive relationships and environments for the young person or adult. We consider how these practices enable the development of resiliency skills to maximise the potential for positive outcomes.

Our postgraduate course attracts professionals from a wide range of backgrounds including those outside of education. This enables discussion and sharing of experiences which are facilitated by staff in a supportive environment. The University provides a range of support teams, both academic and pastoral, during your time here.