Clever Connections: A Pilot Whole-Family Programme Exploring Opportunities to Enhance Carer-Child Attunement

Quality of carer-child attunement is recognised as a significant factor in child development, yet few parenting programmes appear to provide opportunities for whole families to engage in activities exploring sound attunement. Clever Connections was developed by a psychologist–clinician in private practice as an attunement-focused pilot programme to explore a collaborative approach for families with primary-school-aged children. Concepts from critical theories, applied linguistics, sensorimotor therapies, mindfulness, narrative practice and communal practice informed the theoretical positioning which guided the programme's development. The programme, run over four sessions, was trialled with a group of four families. The first session was a three-hour block for the adults only, during which the participants’ positionings and preferences were used to structure the programme. The following whole-family sessions involved a series of cooperative games, creative activities and linguistic tasks focusing on enhancing attunement. Feedback was gathered immediately following the programme regarding content and structure of the programme. Follow-up at six months indicated that sensorimotor and self-regulatory strategies explored in the programme continued to be of benefit to some of the families who participated. The outcomes suggest that further experimentation with this style of family programme is worthy of consideration.