Integrated Attachment Focused Core Needs Approach in the Perinatal Period

Facilitator Training Workshops for Perinatal Clinicians
New Beginnings Integrated Core Needs Framework

Structured, Small-Group Online Workshops

New dates

Friday Evening Group 7:30–9:00 pm AEST Dates: 14 August, 11 September, 9 October, 6 November 2026

or

Thursday Morning Group 10:30 am–12:00 pm AEST Dates: 9 July, 6 August, 3 September, 1 October 2026

(4 sessions held every 4 weeks)

This training provides 10 hours of professional development:

• 6 hours face-to-face learning

• 4 hours self-directed learning

All sessions are recorded and available for participants who are unable to attend live.

This four-part workshop series is designed for clinicians working with parents in the perinatal period who are seeking an attachment- and needs-based approach to understanding and supporting mental health.

Across four live sessions, participants will be guided through the framework using a combination of direct teaching and reflective discussion, supporting integration into clinical practice.

The New Beginnings Integrated Core Needs Framework brings together key concepts from Circle of Security, schema therapy, and attachment theory through a shared focus on core emotional needs.

The New Beginnings Core Needs approach combines a clinical framework for perinatal clinicians with parent-facing resources and worksheets to support its application in-session and via telehealth.

Working with parents in the perinatal period involves supporting them through a time of profound transformation. It can stir deep emotions, shift identity, and bring both joy and challenge. It also offers a unique opportunity for healing and for reshaping intergenerational patterns. It is within this space that a clear, attachment- and needs-based way of understanding both parents and infants can support meaningful and lasting change.

The framework offers flexibility. It can be used as a standalone approach supporting assessment, treatment planning, and intervention, or as an adjunct within a clinician’s existing way of working

Participants will receive the New Beginnings parent resource in both PDF and PowerPoint formats, ready for use in-session or via telehealth. New Beginnings is a perinatal-specific resource written for parents and designed to be delivered by clinicians. It provides a structured framework that can be used flexibly to meet the shifting needs of parents during the perinatal period, using accessible, parent-friendly language.

Training in Circle of Security and/or Schema Therapy is not required. The Core Needs Framework draws on key ideas from these approaches, but uses them in a different way. While no prior knowledge is needed, familiarity with these models can deepen understanding and support integration into practice.

Key Learning Outcomes

• Will have the resources and knowledge to begin using the Core Needs Approach with the parents they support

• Conduct an attachment-informed assessment with families, exploring early childhood attachment experiences, unmet needs, and related schemas

• Assess wellbeing in the perinatal period using the Cups of Wellbeing, linking mental health presentations to core needs and schemas

• Identify core schemas and track patterns using an adapted mode model

• Integrate strategies to support wellbeing throughout each stage of treatment

• Provide attachment-focused psychoeducation to support parents in understanding their own needs and the needs of their baby as they grow

• Reflect on core needs, schemas, and modes in the perinatal period

• Apply the framework as a standalone intervention or alongside approaches such as schema therapy, EMDR, ACT, CBT, and DBT

TRAINING STRUCTURE

Session 1 – Foundations & Assessment

• Core Needs Approach & Wellbeing
• Early Attachment and Unmet Needs Assessment
• Cups of Wellbeing – Current Core Needs & Wellbeing Assessment

Session 2 –Attachment Patterns and Schemas in the Perinatal Period

•The Internal Alarm System and understanding Cues & Miscues and how they shape adult attachment
• Reflection on schemas and how they may present in the perinatal period

Session 3 – Modes & Coping Responses

• Introduction to the New Beginnings Adapted Mode Model

Session 4 – Integration & Application

• Using New Beginnings program as a standalone Intervention
• Integrating with EMDR, ACT, CBT & DBT
• Flexible Clinical Use

Please note: This training does not provide formal training in Schema Therapy experiential techniques or Circle of Security as a parenting intervention.

Investment
$380 for 4 sessions

Facilitator Bio

Symon Oliveri is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and founder of Contigo Child and Family.

Symon holds a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in social science and has worked across intensive family services, school counselling, child and infant mental health, perinatal mental health, and trauma services. Symon has also worked with children and families across Africa, Europe, and Central and South America, shaping a deep respect for the many ways family's parent, heal, and connect.

Symon has completed extensive training in perinatal and infant mental health and in the treatment of complex trauma for both children and adults. She has also undertaken advanced training in the Circle of Security intervention, Schema Therapy for adults, and Schema Therapy for children and families.

Through her clinical work, she identified a gap in structured schema therapy resources that genuinely fit the perinatal space, particularly within shorter-term therapy models. In response, she developed the New Beginnings framework and parent resources to translate complex attachment and schema concepts into accessible, collaborative tools for perinatal parents.