Circle of Security® Parenting™ program
Building stronger connections, one relationship at a time.
Parenting is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but it can also be one of the most challenging. Whether you're navigating the big emotions of a toddler or the increasingly complex world of a teenager, understanding your child's emotional needs can make all the difference.
The Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program helps you understand what sits beneath your child's behaviour, strengthen your relationship and build the emotional security that supports them throughout life.
Do you have this really clear vision in your mind of the kind of parent you want to be? Gentle, kind, compassionate. Sound right?
Then your child displays behaviour that’s probably very normal and age appropriate but you turn into the opposite kind of parent.
You yell. You scream. You cry. You might grab your child and handle him or her physically in a way that’s a bit too rough. You might even smack.
Your child is screaming. You are furious. You are crying, and you might have sunk down onto the floor in exhaustion from the whole mental battle.
The guilt sets in. You don’t want to parent this way. You feel so incredibly bad for the words you said, for the way you yelled, and the way you ‘man-handled’ your precious child.
You are exhausted and at your wits end. How are you supposed to do this parenting gig in the ‘gentle, kind, attachment parenting’ way?
You worry that you are damaging your child for life.
It can leave you feeling like a failure as a parent. Sound familiar?
It can be hard to get past your child's behaviour, especially when it's pushing all your buttons and triggering a range of emotions in you.
Behaviours in young children - like tantrums, not listening and being physically aggressive - are common. Behaviours in teenagers - like rolling eyes, ignoring, slamming doors, never coming out of their room - are common too. We know that children show their emotions through their behaviour, and their brains are not yet developed for them to regulate their own emotions. They need our help.
Children thrive when they feel safe, seen, soothed and secure. They grow into their best selves when they are closely connected to the adults around them, when they feel heard, and when they feel understood.
Do people tell you that you will make a rod for your own back if you don’t follow through with punishing your child for their behaviour? Generational parenting saw the use of punishment to get children to obey. Research now tells us that this form of parenting doesn’t help children develop emotional security, and we see it reflected in problems during the teenage years.
For many parents, using punishments like time outs, smacking, withdrawal of privileges and grounding means that the connection between the parent and your child gets broken.
Parenting toddlers: Big feelings, little people
Toddlers are discovering the world, developing their independence and learning how to manage emotions that can sometimes feel bigger than they are.
Tantrums, separation anxiety, defiance and constant demands for attention can leave parents feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or unsure how to respond.
Parenting school-aged children: Growing independence, growing emotions
The primary school years bring exciting opportunities, new friendships and growing independence. But they also bring challenges as children navigate social relationships, school expectations, disappointment, anxiety and an increasingly complex world.
Sometimes the child who seems perfectly fine at school comes home and falls apart. Sometimes a seemingly small problem triggers enormous emotions. And sometimes children push us away just when they need us most.
Parenting teenagers: Staying connected as they grow
Adolescence brings new challenges as young people navigate identity, independence, friendships, relationships, peer pressure and increasing expectations.
Communication can become harder, disagreements more frequent and the child who once wanted to be by your side may now seem determined to push you away.
But here's the thing: Teenagers still need their parents. They just need them differently. Because giving teenagers independence doesn't mean stepping away. It means giving them the confidence to explore, knowing you're still there when they need you.
Different ages. Different challenges. The same fundamental need.
Whether your child is two or ten, or seventeen, one thing remains constant: children need to feel safe, understood and connected to the people who matter most.
The Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program helps parents understand the balance between being a secure base from which children can explore the world and a safe haven they can return to when they need comfort, reassurance or support.
It also encourages parents to reflect on their own experiences, understand what triggers their reactions and recognise how their responses influence their relationship with their child.
It's not about being a perfect parent.
There is no such thing as a perfect parent, and Circle of Security® Parenting™ isn't about getting everything right.
It's about becoming a more confident, reflective and emotionally available parent. It's about recognising what your child needs, understanding your own responses and learning how to repair relationships when things don't go to plan.
Because the goal isn't to raise children who never struggle. It's to raise children who know they don't have to struggle alone.
Invest in your relationship. It matters at every age.
Whether you're navigating toddler tantrums or teenage turmoil, Circle of Security® Parenting™ can help you build stronger connections, deepen understanding and create relationships that last a lifetime. Your child won't always need you in the same way, but they'll always need to know you're there.
What is Circle of Security® Parenting™ program?
The internationally acclaimed Circle of Security® Parenting™ program is an evidence-based attachment program delivered worldwide, which reflects over 50 years of research on the long-term impact of the parent/child relationship.
You will receive essential training through DVD clips and reflective questioning, based on the Circle of Security graphic and intervention model.
About the program
The Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program is run on a one-to-one basis for individual parents or couples where we have the ability to focus solely on your family and your child/ren. It means we can focus on real life situations you face with your toddler, child or teenager to find ways to meet their emotional needs, as well as manage your own.
It is preferable for you to find child care for your child/ren so that you can fully focus on the content of the course. However, at times parents may need to have children present and we can be flexible around this.
This program includes:
8 x 1 hour sessions
Workbook and handouts
Certificate of completion (must attend all sessions to receive this)
The Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program can be run face to face or online depending on your location or preference.
After the workshop, you will be able to
Identify the lifelong benefits of a secure relationship with your child
Recognise and understand your child's emotional needs
Respond to difficult behaviours in ways that create resilience
Cease the battles of 'will'
Identify your child's emotional needs
Support your child's independence
Support your child's need for closeness and intimacy
Promote the development of empathy in your child
Understand why sometimes your child's behaviours cause strong reactions in you
Discover a new way to handle your child's emotional 'meltdowns'
Discover a new approach to take when your child 'acts' out’
How to Join the Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program?
Please click the below button to secure your place in the Circle of Security® Parenting™ Program or to make further enquiries.
“I recently completed the Circle of Security® Parenting™ program with Karen O’Mara. It was a program I was wanting to do for a quite a while and the timing felt right as my child had recently turned one. Karen delivered the Circle of Security® Parenting™ program in a very open and warm setting with only a small group of attendees. Everyone felt comfortable and had the opportunity to share their parenting experiences and challenges with ease throughout. Karen presented the program with empathy, nurturing, attentiveness and respect. The program has certainly given me the awareness to parent with attachment and security at the forefront. It made me realise how we were parented can have a profound impact on our own children. By being able to understand this and have that awareness, it has given me the courage to parent in a way which has empathy, integrity and is respectful to both the parent and child. The Circle of Security® Parenting™ program is an investment in not only my child’s future, but also my own. A must for every new parent!”
— Leisl, mother of Alexander, 17 months
Meet the presenter
Karen O’Mara
Karen is a clinical social worker with more than 25 years experience working with families and is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers. Karen has worked extensively with families in child protection, as well as in social work positions in maternity and children's hospitals in intensive care and emergency departments supporting families and children impacted by grief, loss, trauma, crisis and bereavement. Karen is a registered Circle of Security® Parenting™ facilitator and her work is informed by attachment and family systems theory. In her business she provides general women’s and perinatal counselling and parenting support. Karen is passionate about the Circle of Security® Parenting™ program because she sees the difference it makes in the lives of families.
