Lighthouse Parenting Program

The Lighthouse parenting program is for parents or carers of children aged 2 to 18. The core aim of this program is to help you see your child more clearly; that is to give you the skills to seek to restore mentalizing and reduce relational disorganization.

Mentalizing is often described as seeing oneself from the outside (how we imagine others might see us) and seeing others from the inside (what we imagine might be going on inside the minds of others to understand their behaviour). It is not just about seeing oneself and others more clearly but also about striving to see both self and others more clearly. One could say that to be seen reasonably accurately and to experience someone as trying to see us accurately results in feeling understood and believed in. To be seen is to be believed.

Research indicates that promoting mentalizing, is especially important when parents have experienced their own trauma or significant disruptions in their own bonds with their own parents. We might say that when we have experienced significant trauma during childhood, our own children bring ghosts alive in us and we see the ghosts and not our children.

In this 12-week group program you will:

• Develop a greater understanding of how the human mind works

• Learn about mentalizing and how it helps you think more clearly in states of high arousal about yourself and your child (e.g., emotion regulation during conflict)

• Get help, through activities, to access your feelings and understand how your feelings are conveyed to other people and can be used to guide you (when combined with thinking)

• Learn how to be a safe harbour for your children and use your mind to guide them through the rough seas that life can hurl at you and your child

• Learn how being a safe harbour helps children grow emotion regulation, resilience and the capacity to explore the world (to be brave)

Research indicates that this program promotes mentalization to reduce disorganised attachment and promote secure attachment. Additionally, this program has been associated with:

• Reduction in maladaptive parental practices

• Reductions in children’s maladaptive behaviours

• Improved parent-child relationships

• Improved parental adjustment and mental health

Where will the program be run?

Online via Telehealth.

How long does the program run for?

The program consists of 12 x 90-minute weekly sessions. We therefore expect to complete the program within 12 weeks from the start date.

Starting 6th August and finishing on 22nd October 2025, and will run weekly on Wednesdays from 10 am to 11:30 am.

How to RSVP:

Send your expression of interest to psychology@soldieron.org.au and a member of our team will get back to you shortly.