Our Journey so Far
Becoming Us didn’t emerge overnight. It has grown steadily over more than a decade and a half — shaped by lived experience, professional practice, research, and the realities of supporting families through change.
2011
The first edition of Becoming Us is published by HarperCollins in Australia and New Zealand. Elly begins writing about relationships and parenthood for Practical Parenting, Australia’s largest parenting magazine.
2014–2015
Becoming Us is presented at conferences in Australia, the USA, and the UK. Growing interest from professionals leads to the launch of the first online professional training, with a small cohort of early adopters exploring the Becoming Us family-centred approach together.
2016–2017
Becoming Us courses for expecting and new parents are piloted through hospital and community settings in the USA and Australia. The model is integrated into evaluated programs, with early evidence showing improvements in parental wellbeing and bonding.
2018–2019
Government-funded pilots begin in Australia. Professional training evolves into a structured three-level pathway, supported by mentoring for facilitators delivering Becoming Us programs with parents. By this stage, thousands of professionals worldwide have engaged with the training.
2020–2021
As the pandemic disrupts in-person services globally, Becoming Us pivots fully online. Training continues and updated resources are released to support parents navigating unprecedented uncertainty. Early quality-assurance findings are presented at the Marce Australasian Conference.
2022
Becoming Us is integrated into antenatal education across two public hospitals in southern Sydney — a full-circle moment, as these are the hospitals where Elly’s own children were born.
Now
Becoming Us continues to grow through partnerships with hospitals, organisations, and training providers, with ongoing research collaborations and international projects underway.
What we’ve learned along the way…
Parents often don’t realise what support they need until they’re already in the thick of change.
Relational and emotional transitions are common — and often overlooked in siloed systems.
When professionals share a common map and language, families are better supported.
Beta test everything. Every link. Every time.
Looking ahead…
We continue to develop new training options, parent resources, and organisational partnerships — always with the same focus: helping families navigate the transition into parenthood with more understanding, connection, and support.