Why “whole family”?

In the past, perinatal education has focused on mothers and babies exclusively. This is, of course, essential learning. However leaving fathers and partners out of the picture leaves major gaps in support for new families. We know from decades of research that perinatal relationship quality and the mental health of expecting and new parents are intertwined. And that relationship and/or mental health problems in either parent can negatively affect their baby. The flip side of this is that supportive relationships have a protective function. Working in a relationship-informed way, even if only with one parent, can bond parents, their baby, wider family and their community, so the whole family has multiple supports, especially during challenging times.

What professional education courses do you offer and what do they cost?

The Becoming Us™ Seed Planting Workshop is our quickest and easiest option. Participants will learn what “the Transition into Parenthood” really means for mothers, fathers, parents and families and how to plant easy but powerful seeds to prepare parents for the different transitions in ways that reduce risks for PMH and relationship issues. This single online self-paced training session is designed for professionals who work with clients pre-conception and/or during pregnancy and is USD $57 (please check your local currency conversion). Enrol any time throughout the year.

Becoming Us™ Level I: consists of our Seed Planting Workshop PLUS the foundations for “whole family” work, seeing things through a relationship-focused lens and working in family-based ways. Discover mothers’, fathers’ and parents’ individual journey through parenthood, the three stages of a long-term relationship and an introduction to Perinatal Mental Health conditions for mothers, fathers and parents. This self-paced online training for antenatal, birth and postnatal professionals is 4 sessions. The cost is USD $247. Enrol at any time throughout the year.

Becoming Us™ Level II: In Level II we put the theories and frameworks from Level I together to provide you and your clients with a way forward. You’ll learn the 8 ground-breaking research and evidence-based Becoming Us™ stages (one prenatal and seven postnatal stages) of pregnancy and early parenthood. You’ll have information, handouts and resources to use the stages as a framework to prepare, support and guide parents forward in ways that support the mental, emotional and relationship wellbeing of the whole family. This online training is 8 sessions. The cost is USD $497. You can do this after you’ve finished Level I at a time that works for you.

Becoming Us™ Level III: This is where we cover the biggest challenges of parenthood, like managing birth and perinatal trauma, grief and loss, all from a relationship perspective. We also dive deeper into Perinatal Mental Health conditions and relationship distress including abuse, addictions and affairs. You’ll learn ways to reduce risks for them all. This is an online self-paced training comprising 6 sessions. The cost is USD $267. You can do this at any time after you’ve finished Level II.

Entire course (Level I, II and III) option:

The entire Becoming Us Perinatal Preparation, Relationships and Mental Health online course is USD $950 and payment options are available. Enrol at any time and have it all there. Access to the online content, resources and handouts is ongoing, there is no expiration date. We want you to have this information when, where and for as long as you need it.

Elly is excited to start offering Becoming Us Levels I, II and III as live online intensives over 8 weeks from October 2022. Please register your interest early for these as spaces are strictly limited.

How long does the training take?

Each session is around an hour long, including optional reflection time and additional reading and resources. We recommend doing one or two sessions a week and allow for integration time between sessions. Having said that, our “fastest” student binge-watched the tutorials over three days and we’ve had some students take over a year to complete the training (some had babies in the middle). You have forever access to the content and handouts etc., so there’s no pressure.

I only work with mothers, is this training still for me?

Absolutely. Even if you normally only work with one parent, you’ll learn relationship-informed approaches that benefit the whole family. This training will also build your confidence to work with fathers, parents and partners. You may be surprised by how easy—and rewarding—this work is!

I’m a birth professional, I don’t work with clients postpartum. Is Level II still for me?

Yes! You can use the 8 stages of Becoming Us™ to prepare and support parents during pregnancy (or even preconception). New research is finding that expecting parents who feel supported and well prepared for what comes after the birth are less anxious and have better birth outcomes. These parents also have reduced risks for Perinatal Mental Health issues, like anxiety or depression, in the postpartum period - so you really are giving families a better start.

You’ll find the training is designed with flexible learning in mind. You can skim any parts that aren’t as relevant to you and dive deeper where it’s most helpful.

I’m a therapist, so I see parents with children of all ages. Is the Becoming Us™ approach relevant for clients with older children?

Yes - and this was surprising for us. The Becoming Us™ model was originally designed to be used by professionals working with clients during pregnancy and in the first few years of family. But then we started getting feedback from therapists who were successfully using the approach with parents of older children. Using the Becoming Us stages with parents to look back at their parenthood journey can reduce mutual blame and resentment. Using the Becoming Us skills and steps can help partners to move forward together. It’s nice work to do!

I sometimes work with expecting or new parents but I’m not on the list of professionals. Is this training for me too?

This work is most powerful in the hands of someone parents have a relationship with, like and trust. It’s for any professional who can make a difference in their life, so yes, we’d love to equip you to guide the parents you care for.

I’m a mental health professional and I’ve done relationship training before, what’s different about Becoming Us™?

Relationship knowledge is important for anyone working with this vulnerable population, because as you know relationship problems are both a major contributor to and a result of perinatal mental health issues. It works both ways. So it’s GREAT you have knowledge in this area - it’s sorely needed!

As well as gaining new awareness and skills we’ve been told are different from anything else on offer, what’s unique about the Becoming Us™ approach are three things:

1) Becoming Us breaks down the “transition” into parenthood into multiple transitionS, which you’ll learn about in Level I,

2) the Becoming Us 8- stage Relationship-Developmental model, which helps parents navigate ALL the transitions that you’ll learn about in Level II. The stages in Becoming Us are both evidence-based and supported by research. Each stage (from pre-conception or pregnancy through the first few years of family) addresses the most common stresses and important aspects of mental, emotional and relationship wellbeing that are crucial at that time. Each stage builds on the stage before and prepares parents for the next stage. This provides parents (and professionals!) with a trail map that builds individual capacity for coping, couple connection and family resilience as parents travel along.

3) Becoming Us is designed to help reduce risks for Perinatal Mental Health Conditions and relationship distress and help couples manage birth or perinatal trauma and grief and loss as a team, which you’ll learn about in Level III.

What’s different about the Becoming Us courses for parents?

The Becoming Us courses for parents are based on adult-attachment theory, so they are primarily process (rather than content) driven. More heart-based than head-focused. We include lots of group bonding time, awareness raising and couple connection experiences, so participants can actually experience the difference the course is making for them. Our Facilitators can sense it too. As Barb Suarez, our Becoming Us Facilitator Mentor, says: “before, I was an Educator. Now I’m a Facilitator. I can feel and see the difference and I LOVE it”. Also, we know just how much it really does take a village, so supporting parents’ relationships with grandparents, friends, extended family, community and other professionals is a big part of what our wonderful facilitators do.

Do you offer a full curriculum for the Becoming Us courses for parents?

Yes, absolutely. Elly was a group facilitator herself, so she knows what facilitators need. We have a full comprehensive curriculum and guidelines for all our courses, with instructions on how to introduce topics, which seeds to plant, how to manage experiential activities and more. We also offer a mentoring program for our longer courses.

Do you ever offer real live training?

Yes. Now that her kids are older, and the pandemic mess is clearing up, Elly loves to travel and she’ll go anywhere there’s a big enough group to make it work. Check out our Professionals Live Training Page and send an inquiry if you’d like Elly to visit you. Alternatively, Elly will be offering live online training from late 2022.

I want to do the entire training. What are my options for signing up?

Either individually or all at once. You can sign up for Level I, our foundations course any time during the year. Once you’re done, you’ll be sent an invitation to go on and do Level II and, if you’d like, you can then go on to our final level of training, Level III. Alternatively, if this is something you’ve been looking for or you know in your bones this training is for you, you can go all in and sign up for the entire training here.

For how long do I have access to the information?

Forever! We want you to be supported long after you’ve finished your training. And this year we’re starting monthly peer support calls that you’re always welcome to be part of.

Can I log in to the sessions on my own schedule?

Yes. Sessions are sent to you weekly and you can choose to watch the videos as they arrive in your inbox, or you can get comfy on the couch, log in and binge-watch. If life gets in the way (we have a few folk with new babies!), you can just pause for as long as needed. We're here to welcome you back when you're ready.

Can I earn Continuing Education Units with this training?

As we are offer international multi-disciplinary training, you’ll need to check this with the relevant professional organisation. We often get enquiries about Postpartum Support International: our live online intensives, which run three times per year, are approved for the advanced track for the PMH-C and they offer 1 CEU per Becoming Us online session for PMH-C re-certification.

What happens when I’ve finished doing all the courses?

Once you’ve completed the professional training, you might like to think about running our Becoming Us programs in your community: our new Becoming Us™ Nest Building Sessions, Becoming Us™ Before Baby, Becoming Us™ After Baby and Becoming Us™ Reading Support Group, which you can use with individuals, couples or in a group setting. You'll get the curriculum for all programs and have the opportunity to work one on one with our Becoming Mentor to get you set up for the longer courses. You’ll also have ongoing access to our Becoming Us Village Elders Facebook group. The actual steps and costs for Facilitation are below.

I don't want to run the courses for parents, should I still do the professional training?

AB-SO-LUTELY! Anyone who works with parents at any stage in their family life-cycle benefits from knowing this vital relationship-based information and the huge difference working in a relationship-informed way can make for parents and families. We are seeing enormously high rates of anxiety, depression and relationship distress during the perinatal period. Parents need professionals who can work in a father/partner inclusive, family-centered way to prevent this. The Becoming Us whole family professional training is in line with current recommendations from ACOG in the U.S., The World Psychiatric Society and COPE in Australia.

Most of our students don’t run the courses for parents. The courses are designed for you to use the information immediately and integrate it into your own way of working with clients. You'll be able to plant Becoming Us seeds and have handouts from day one. In Level II, you'll learn the Becoming Us™ stages of parenthood and have resources to use the framework with clients in whatever way is helpful for you and for them. In Level III, you'll have a deeper understanding of the more challenging aspects of parenthood, including Perinatal Mental Health conditions, ways to minimize your clients' risk, and how to help parents who need it.

Then, if you do decide you'd like more structure, direction and support, you can apply to use the Becoming Us™ curriculums. Initially, we’ll give you the course curriculum for our new Becoming Us Nest Building Sessions and encourage you to try it out and find your feet before deciding to offer the longer courses to parents.

What are the steps to apply for and run the Becoming Us courses for parents?

We are excited to be in pilot mode with this new step for Facilitators. Here’s the current two-part process to become a Becoming Us program Facilitator:

Part I:

1) Complete all three levels of Becoming Us.

2) Apply to become a Becoming Us Facilitator. We’ll ask you to send in your paperwork (eg. C.V., professional insurance and professional membership if you have it).

3) Book in for a welcome session with Elly to talk about your plans. She can’t wait to hear them!

4) At this point you'll receive the Becoming Us Facilitator Agreement, guidelines and curriculum for our new Becoming Us Nest Building sessions. These sessions are designed for prenatal couples and can also be used in the early postpartum period. 

While we’re still in pilot mode for this part, the current investment for this process is only $USD 147, which includes a welcome session with Elly, your Becoming us Parenthood Tour Guide Badge and the Becoming Us Nest Building curriculum, Powerpoint and handouts.

Part II:

5) When you’re ready, you can apply to run our longer courses, Becoming Us™ Before Baby (5 sessions for expecting couples), Becoming Us™ After Baby (four sessions for couples with a baby or toddler) and the Becoming Us™ Reading and Support Group program (6 sessions) for mothers, fathers or parents with a baby or young children. 

6) Once we’re all confident you’re set up to go forward, you’ll be listed on our new Becoming Us Facilitator directory.

7) If you’re planning on running the Becoming Us courses for groups of parents and you have class participants ready to go, book your first session with our Becoming Us Course Facilitator Mentor. You’ll have three mentoring sessions in total - one before, one during and one after your first pilot course.

8) Run your first pilot course and send all participant feedback forms from each session to us. Send in your own Facilitator feedback forms at the end of the training. 

9) You’ll have the option to continue working with our Facilitator Mentor on an hourly basis if you feel you need more support.

The current investment for this process is $USD 300, which includes three x 1 hour sessions of one-on-one mentoring.

Are there any ongoing costs for me to run the courses for parents afterwards?

Yes. We charge an annual maintenance and rights fee to purchase and run the programs, provide any updated materials, have ongoing support and access to new resources. At this early stage, the yearly fee to run the Becoming Us Nest Building Session is only $47 or $147 for all curriculums.

I haven't facilitated groups before, is there support for me?

We’ve designed our new process so Facilitators can work their way up and build confidence as they go. The seed planting you learn about in Level I and do as part of your day-to-day work can lead to clients wanting to do the courses with you. If they want more after the first short course, you can offer them the longer ones.

As part of the process to run the longer courses (see step 7 above), you’ll get three sessions with our fantastic Becoming Us Facilitator Mentor as you’re running your pilot course. You’ll get one mentoring session before your first class, the second session about half-way through, and the third when you’re both celebrating at the end! In your final session, you'll decide together if more mentoring is a good thing and how much will work for your needs. Any additional mentoring is charged at an hourly rate to be negotiated with your mentor. We want you to be successful because we know that parents need you!

I’m not sure if I want to do the whole training, but I might after Level I. Is there a price difference if I do the levels separately?

You can do Level I and that might be enough. If it’s not, you can decide to go on and do more, there’s only a small price difference because we didn’t want that to be a pressure. Either way, we hope you’ll join us soon and see for yourself the difference this work can make!

Any other questions? Pleas let us know here.