Training Workshop Descriptions

The Incredible Years® training descriptions of each training workshop. These trainings will prepare you to be an Incredible Years® group leader.

Baby Parent Group Leader Training (ages 0-1)

This training will prepare group leaders to implement our Parents and Babies Program. This 9-session program focuses on teaching parents how to provide nurturing parenting to babies including offering physical, tactile, verbal and visual stimulation, coping with crying babies, safety proofing one’s house, and understanding the developmental needs of babies. Parents will learn about managing issues such as crying babies, feeding and diapering problems, and leaders will take advantage of the babies’ presence in the group to set up practices (for example, baby massage). The curriculum uses Webster-Stratton’s book Incredible Babies as the text for parents.

PARENTING PYRAMID® WORKSHOP

BASIC Parent Group Leader Training (ages 2-8)

This training will prepare group leaders to lead three different basic parenting programs: (1) toddler program (ages 1-3 years) which is 12 weekly sessions; (2) preschool program (ages 3-6 years) which is 18-20 sessions; and (3) early school age program (ages 6-8 years) which is 16 sessions (four additional sessions for the Supporting your Child’s Education component). The training teaches the following content: child-directed play, academic, persistence, social and emotional coaching, praise and encouragement, predictable routines, effective limit setting, nonphysical discipline alternatives, teaching children to problem solve, and supporting children’s education. It guides the progression of the course and the order of the content building blocks. Group therapy process issues such as empowering parents, collaborating, dealing with resistance, confronting and teaching, supporting and advocating for parents are discussed in terms of their ability to scaffold the pyramid’s structure.

These intervention programs may be used by professionals (such as therapists and parent educators from psychology, social work, education, nursing, pediatrics, and psychiatry) who are working with families of young children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder or ADHD or aggressive behavior problems or anxiety and internalizing problems (ages 3-8 years), or with higher risk socioeconomically disadvantaged families, as well as court ordered families, foster parents, and teenage parents. The parenting pyramid workshop will also teach how to use this program as a prevention program in elementary schools and preschools. The curriculum uses two of Webster-Stratton’s books as the text for group leaders: The Incredible Years: A Troubleshooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2-8 Years Old and Collaborating With Parents to Reduce Children’s Behavior Problems.

School Age BASIC Parent Group Leader Training (ages 6-12)

This training will prepare group leaders to lead the 16-18 session school age program (ages 6-12 years). The training teaches the following content: special time (play), academic, social and emotional coaching, praise and incentives, rules and responsibilities, limit setting, prosocial discipline, problem solving and ways to foster homework completion and after school monitoring. In addition, ways to support children’s learning at school guides the progression of the course and the order of the content building blocks. Group leaders already trained in the version of BASIC training that includes early School Age (ages 6-8) may receive a 1-day supplemental training workshop for using the School Age program with parents of children ages 9-12.

The curriculum uses two of Webster-Stratton’s books as the text for group leaders: The Incredible Years: A Troubleshooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2-8 Years Old and Collaborating with Parents to Reduce Children’s Behavior Problems.

ADVANCED Parent Group Leader Training (ages 4-12)

This training is designed for experienced group leaders who have already received the BASIC training to offer this 8-12 week parenting course as an adjunct to the basic programs, have run at least one full series of the group sessions, and ideally are also certified group leaders. It covers topics such as effective communication skills, anger management, giving and getting support, problem solving with adults and with teachers and family problem solving meetings. *This training is only available for participants who have previously attended a Basic Parent Group Leader Training

Attentive Parenting® Group Leader Training (ages 2-6)

This workshop covers in depth the Attentive Parenting program, which is intended to be used a universal prevention parenting program for all parents. It is designed to promote positive parenting strategies which lead to children’s social and emotional competence. Content of this training program includes: child directed play, academic and persistence coaching, emotion coaching, social coaching, emotional regulation training, and problem solving. This prevention program may be used by professionals (such as therapists and parent educators from psychology, social work, education, nursing and psychiatry) who are working with families of young children without conduct problems (ages 2-6 years). It may also be used as a follow up for those who have been through the treatment parenting groups.

Autism Spectrum and Language Delays Parent Group Leader Training (ages 2–5)

This workshop covers in depth the Autism Spectrum and Language Delays Parent Program for parents of children ages 2–5 years old.  Group leaders attending this training should have prior experience working with children on the Autism spectrum or their families. It is recommended that Group Leaders attending this training have previously attended the Basic Parent Group Leader Training and have experience running Incredible Years® groups. This workshop will train group leaders to deliver the Autism Spectrum and Language Delays Program in a parent group setting. This new program can be used as a stand-alone, following the 14-16 session protocol for a group of parents all of whom have children on the Autism Spectrum or with language delays. It can also be used by group leaders delivering the Toddler or Basic Preschool IY Programs as a supplement if there are parents in the group with children on the Autism Spectrum or with language delays.

Small Group Dinosaur Child Social Skills Group Leader Training (ages 3-6) (Treatment)

This workshop will present in depth the Dina Dinosaur Child Social Skills, Emotional Regulation & Problem Solving Training for Children designed by Dr. Webster-Stratton to help young children who have behavior problems. The program focuses on ways to promote children’s emotional literacy, anger management, appropriate conflict management strategies, expected classroom behaviors, and positive social skills or friendship behaviors with other children and adults.

The workshop will cover methods for working with small groups of children including role play, rehearsal, video and live modeling, group discussion and small group activities. The intervention program is appropriate for use by therapists with small groups of children with behavior problems either in mental health centers as “pull out” programs in schools. The program has been shown to be effective in four randomized control group studies with families of children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder.

This curriculum uses Webster-Stratton’s book Incredible Teachers: Nurturing Children’s Social, Emotional and Academic Competence as the companion book for therapists.

Classroom-Based Dinosaur Group Leader Training (ages 3-8) (Prevention)

This workshop will present in depth the Classroom-based Dinosaur Curriculum Program designed by Dr. Webster-Stratton to help prevent behavior problems and promote social competence and emotional literacy in young children. The program focuses on ways for teachers to promote children’s emotional literacy, anger management, appropriate conflict management strategies, expected classroom behaviors, and positive social skills or friendship behaviors with other children and adults.

The curriculum includes over 60 lesson plans for use by teachers for children aged 3-8 (curriculum is broken up into three “levels” for different developmental stages). The training also includes classroom management strategies which enhance children’s prosocial skills and reduce behavior plans.

The program is appropriate for use by teachers and school counselors for classrooms of students in groups of 18 to 24. It includes circle time, small group activities and strategies to promote social, emotional, and academic literacy throughout the day.

This curriculum uses Webster-Stratton’s book Incredible Teachers: Nurturing Children’s Social, Emotional and Academic Competence as the text book for leaders and teachers.

TEACHING PYRAMID® WORKSHOP

Teacher Classroom Management Group Leader Training (ages 4-10)

This workshop will help group leaders learn how to deliver the evidence-based Teacher Classroom Management Training Program to preschool and early school-age teachers. The Teaching Pyramid® focuses on how to strengthen teacher classroom management strategies, promote children’s pro-social behavior and school readiness (reading and writing skills), and reduce classroom aggression and non-cooperation with peers and teachers. Additionally the curriculum focuses on ways teachers can effectively collaborate with parents to support their school involvement and promote consistency from home to school.

After the training, leaders can offer this 6-day curriculum to groups of teachers in their schools. It may be delivered in monthly or weekly meetings and takes 42 hours for teachers to complete the entire series. This curriculum uses Webster-Stratton’s book Incredible Teachers: Nurturing Children’s Social, Emotional and Academic Competence as the text book for leaders and teachers.

Group leaders should have a background in child development, social learning theory, adult group leadership skills and experience teaching children in the classroom. Education and accreditation as a teacher, psychologist, school counselor or completion of certification as an Incredible Years parent group leader or child group leader are requirements for certification in this program, in addition to attendance at this training workshop.

Incredible Beginnings® Group Leader Training (ages 1–5)

This workshop covers in depth the new Incredible Beginnings® Program for teachers and childcare providers, which is designed to promote positive teaching strategies for children ages 1 to 5 years. The program topics focus on ways preschool and day care providers can provide an environment that promotes optimal development of children’s social competence, emotion literacy, self-regulation, and sense of security and attachment, as well as early problem solving and academic readiness skills. Providers also learn strategies for managing children’s behavior problems, as well as language and developmental delays. The workshop will train group leaders to deliver the Incredible Beginnings® Program to teachers and child care providers and includes a training protocol for teachers of toddlers (1–3 years) as well as one for preschoolers (3–5 years). In this collaborative, interactive training, participants learn group leadership skills such as use of self-refl ection inventories and goal setting, mediation of video vignettes, how to set up role play practices and buzzes, development of behavior plans, and benefi ts/barriers exercises. Topics include separation anxiety, social, emotional and academic coaching, nurturing child-directed play interactions, narrative descriptive commenting, and proactive teaching with predictable routines and consistent positive behavior management strategies. All of these approaches rely on building positive relationships and attachment with children using sensitive and responsive approaches. After this training, leaders can offer this 6–day curriculum to groups of teachers and/or child care providers.

Consultation

Obtain Consultation through the Incredible Years®

Accredited Incredible Years® trainers are available to provide consultation to administrators, group leaders, and therapists about a variety of Incredible Years® topics. These include:

How do you access consultation?
Consultation can be obtained by contacting the Incredible Years® office (incredibleyears@incredibleyears.com) to set up a telephone or Zoom consultation with an accredited trainer. These can be set up with multiple people at the same time or individually.

We also offer in-house, agency or school consultations. In this case, accredited IY trainers go to your site and meet with group leaders or therapists to view videos of their Incredible Years® sessions. These consultations include no more than 10-12 people who bring videos of their work for group feedback and trainer input (typically a maximum of 6 group leader videos can be reviewed in one day).

Consultation days are also offered in Seattle by accredited trainers. Join our newsletter list to receive updates when new trainings are scheduled.