Mother–infant bonding develops through everyday interactions, including feeding, soothing, bathing, dressing, play, and sleep routines. Therapy practitioners are uniquely positioned to support these relational experiences while addressing the sensory, environmental, functional, and occupational factors that influence caregiver and infant participation. This introductory course examines bonding, attachment, co-regulation, and co-occupations through a therapy lens. Participants will learn to recognize modifiable barriers and protective factors affecting the caregiver–infant relationship, observe the dyad within everyday occupations, identify when additional screening or referral may be appropriate, and apply attachment-informed, occupation-based strategies that support regulation, caregiver confidence, and opportunities for connection. This course is for an interprofessional audience.
Live Webinar
Tue, Oct 13, 2026 at 12:00 pm EDTUnder Review: AOTA/0.1 - Application has been made to the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Approved Provider Program.
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to describe the roles of bonding, attachment, co-regulation, and co-occupations in supporting maternal and infant well-being.
- After this course, participants will be able to identify modifiable barriers and protective factors that influence mother–infant bonding during everyday occupations.
- After this course, participants will be able to explain attachment-informed, occupation-based strategies that therapy practitioners can use to promote bonding, regulation, and caregiver confidence.
Agenda
| 0-10 Minutes | Introduction, course objectives, and foundations of bonding, attachment, co-regulation, and co-occupations |
| 10-25 Minutes | Barriers and protective factors influencing mother–infant bonding during everyday occupations, including maternal mental health, sleep, sensory overload, feeding, routines, and environmental factors |
| 25-40 Minutes | Therapy assessment lens: dyadic observation, occupational analysis, screening considerations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and referral |
| 40-50 Minutes | Attachment-informed, occupation-based interventions and clinical application: micro-bonding, cue-based caregiving, sensory strategies, co-occupations, video feedback, and case application |
| 50-55 Minutes | Interprofessional Context; Reflection and Barriers |
| 55-60 Minutes | Summary; Q&A |
Presented By
Tahara Debarrows
MA, LMFT
Tahara DeBarrows, MA, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of A Journey to Healing Counseling, PLLC. Her clinical and educational work focuses on perinatal and maternal mental health, trauma-informed care, attachment, parent–infant relationships, and culturally responsive behavioral health. She provides professional education and consultation to clinicians and other helping professionals, with an emphasis on translating relational and mental health concepts into practical, evidence-informed strategies that support individuals and families.
More
Continued and its subsidiaries provide professional education authored by qualified Subject Matter Experts for continuing education purposes. These materials are intended for educational purposes and do not constitute medical advice or a substitute for individual clinical judgment. Continued is not a clinical healthcare provider; the licensed professional is solely responsible for ensuring that the application of any techniques or information presented is within their legal scope of practice and jurisdictional requirements.
Financial: Tahara DeBarrows is the founder and owner of A Journey to Healing Counseling, PLLC, and receives income related to her clinical, consultation, supervision, and educational work. She received an honorarium for presenting this course material.
Non-financial: Tahara DeBarrows has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by OccupationalTherapy.com, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
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NOTE: Full attendance for all courses is mandatory. For self-study courses, this includes reading the full text, listening to the full audio recording, or watching the complete video, as appropriate for the format of the course.
Passing an online exam and completing a course evaluation will be required to earn continuing education credit.
Live Webinars allow presenter and participant interaction. The exam and course evaluation for these courses must be completed within 7 days of the event.
On-demand courses include texts, video and audio recordings of live webinars, and multimedia formats. The exam and course evaluation for on-demand courses must be completed within 30 days of course registration.
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