Our earliest relationships in life form a pattern for subsequent relationships. The basis of attachment theory is the idea that the relationship we form with our primary caregiver as an infant sets the tone for our ability to connect and relate to others throughout our whole lives.

 Safe, predictable, nurturing and loving relationships, especially in the early years of childhood, are critical.

 Here’s the good part: years and years of research has indicated that just one, that’s right, just one, attuned, predictable and safe relationship with an adult can make all the difference in a child’s long term success. This positive relationship can be a parent, but could also be a teacher, a counselor, a coach, a minister… you!

 Think back on the adults from your own childhood. Who were your safe, nurturing caring adults? Do you remember how they made you feel? 

 We’ve made it through the steps on our model for social emotional health.

We want to take some time now on the blog to dive into that very bottom level, safe relationships. We’ll go into more on what that means, how to build and sustain safe relationships with children, and how to intervene when trauma gets in the way.

 Let’s take a look at the components of safe relationships, as a framework for the next blog posts: