Assessment of Representational Risk in Parent-Child Relationships

This training focuses on assessing parental representations using the Parent Development Interview, helping practitioners learn more about attachment representations, risk and resilience in parent–child relationships, and how to apply this knowledge in clinical and research contexts.

About this training

This training will provide a theoretical overview of the features of parental representations that are associated with risk and resilience in the parent-child relationship.

Trainees will be introduced to a coding system that can be used to assess these features in PDI transcripts, the “Assessment of Representational Risk” (ARR). The system has been used in coding e.g. clinical, prison, war traumatised, and edge-of-care samples of mothers, fathers and other caregivers, and has been found to be very helpful and informative in these (high) risk samples.

This course compliments the Reflective Functioning (RF) on the PDI course. For participants who have not done the RF training or have not used the PDI before, an optional introduction to the PDI session is offered.

Aims of this training

The aim of this training is to provide participants with a broad multidimensional view on the current theoretical and empirical developments around the assessment of parental representations. This will enable practitioners to further their understanding of, and capacity to:

• current research and theory relating to parental representations and attachment

• applying the Assessment of Representational Risk (ARR) coding to Parent Development Interviews with parents and carers.

• have sufficient experience of coding interviews with the ARR coding frame to become reliable coders.

Who is this training for?

This course is suitable for clinical, academic and research professionals working with children and their caregivers who are interested in learning more about the assessment of parent-child relationships, particularly in high-risk populations. This might include researchers, psychologists, and social workers.

Michelle Sleed

Deputy Programme Director of the Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy at Anna Freud/UCL

Michelle has a respectful approach, allowing differences of opinion or experience to be safely explored. I very much appreciated using real transcripts, and the context about the dyads which Michelle was able to provide, as appropriate.

Participant, 2025
The course content is highly relevant and very interesting. Michelle's teaching style is informative, inclusive, well-paced, thoughtful and sensitive. She facilitated an excellent online learning experience.

Participant, 2025
Michelle is a great trainer. The content is very interesting, both clinically and research wise.

Participant, 2025

- Without reliability, without optional introduction: £500
- With reliability: £700
- With optional introduction to the PDI without reliability: £625
- With optional introduction to PDI with reliability: £825
Participants will have the opportunity following the training to complete the reliability test for the ARR coding system. This will entail independently coding a set of interviews and the scores will be compared with the trainer-agreed scores. Passing the reliability test will enable practitioners to use the coding confidently in their own practice. Taking the reliability test will enable participants to use the ARR instrument in research.
This half day introduction to the Parent Development Interview (PDI) is a preparatory training session for those doing the training in the Assessment of Representational Risk and who are not familiar with the PDI. Those who have already trained in the Reflective Functioning coding of the PDI and those who have used the interview in their own work previously do not need to attend this session.
The training will introduce trainees to the interview schedule and interviewing techniques. At the end of the session, trainees will have a better understanding of the interview questions, their meaning, and their interpretation. They will also have an understanding of some of the issues around using the interview in different contexts and how to get the most out of it. This will give participants a good basis for the subsequent training in the coding of the interview.
Upon booking, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and accept our terms and conditions and our privacy notice. Please read these documents before booking:
- Terms and conditions
- Privacy notice
Delegates are expected to submit their completed reliability tests within 12 months of finishing the course. If the tests are not submitted within this timeframe, a late submission fee of £200 will apply before the tests can be reviewed and processed. Please note that it is the delegate’s responsibility to complete and submit the tests on time, and any previous reliability and additional fee charged for late submission is non‑refundable.

Interested in commissioning training for your team?

We are interested in working with teams or organisations who would like to commission a bespoke version of this training. Get in touch with our dedicated team.

Commission training

Assessment of Representational Risk in Parent-Child Relationships

About this training

Aims of this training

Who is this training for?

Michelle Sleed

Fee information

Reliability test

Introduction to the PDI (optional)

Self study

System requirements

Terms of booking

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