Workshops

Healthy enough: Working with parents of adult children

Working Toward “Healthy Enough”: Parents and Adult Children in Therapy

Live training for mental health professionals

Next date: November 9, 2026

Line drawing of an elderly couple sitting close together, seen from behind. The woman has her hair in a bun and the man has short hair. Both wear jackets and appear to be touching or holding hands.

Family dynamics and intergenerational patterns play an important role in mental health, life satisfaction, and overall functioning. Family and parenting issues can emerge in therapy with any client, regardless of the initial referral question. Understanding the lifelong transitions of parenthood enables professionals to offer nuanced interventions, address intergenerational issues, and help their clients navigate complex parent-child relationships.

This workshop is designed for professionals who want to better support parents by navigating the complex experience of parenting children from birth into adulthood. The curriculum addresses key transitions and challenges, including attachment across the lifespan, evolving family roles, separation/divorce, loss and grief, family estrangement and reconnection, and end of life decisions.

This training is a follow-up to the introductory workshop and is designed for mental health professionals seeking a deeper, practical understanding of parent–adult child dynamics in therapy. Grounded in an integrated CBT × attachment framework, the workshop focuses on assessing and intervening in complex relational patterns involving resentment, guilt, grief, boundary-setting, estrangement, and repair.

The framework supports clinicians in:

Using attachment concepts to understand relational patterns, unmet needs, and emotional reactivity
Applying CBT strategies to identify and modify unhelpful beliefs, narratives, and behavioral responses related to parenting and family roles
Supporting clients in tolerating ambivalence, grief, and disappointment without defaulting to withdrawal, blame, or estrangement
Working developmentally with parenting transitions from peripartum through adulthood, including estrangement, reconnection, and end-of-life decisions

Participants will receive a workbook.

Participants will learn how to move beyond surface narratives, support reflective functioning, and apply evidence-based strategies to help clients develop “healthy enough” relationships across the lifespan.

This is not a parenting workshop. It is geared to mental health professionals.

Upcoming dates:

Date: November 9, 2026
Location: 2283 St. Laurent Suite 200, Ottawa, Ont.
Time: 9:30am to 3:30pm
Format: In person, Live training
Register here
Find the training agenda here.

Looking for a pre-recorded course? Find it here.
Contact me to schedule a date for your organization

Explore Attachment Across the Lifespan:
Understand how early bonds shape long-term family dynamics and influence parent-child relationships at every stage.
Address Key Transitions:
Gain tools to support clients through major parenting milestones—separation, grief, estrangement, and reconciliation.
Support Intergenerational Healing:
Learn how to identify and interrupt unhealthy patterns that pass through generations, fostering healthier family systems.

Court-Ordered Parenting Assessments (S.30)

Parents face numerous difficult decisions when they decide to separate. Sometimes, when parents are unable to come to a decision about child-related issues such as parenting time and decision-making, or when there are concerns about parenting capacity, a mental health professional is asked by the family court to provide recommendations on the matter.

A parenting assessment (or Section 30) is a comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of the children’s needs, the parents’ ability and functioning, and the various relationships and dynamics within a family.

My role as an evaluator is to gather information and make recommendations in the best interests of the child(ren). I provide recommendations to the court on parental decision-making (custody) and parenting time (visitation) that are in the best interests of the child(ren). I also answer specific questions posed by the court. The S.30 evaluation is a process, which does not guarantee an outcome for either party.

You can consult this document or contact me for further information about fees and availability.

“Dr. Pishva was an engaging speaker. She was clearly an expert and I appreciated her comments connecting content to research studies."

“I appreciated how prepared Dr. Rana was and how excited she was for the material. It's clear she has conceptualized this integrative approach a lot!"

“I appreciated that many practical skills/worksheets were included in the workshop. (tangible ideas we can bring into therapeutic sessions)"

“I appreciate the work Rana has put into this training, both theoretically and concretely. The workbook (and power point) is beautiful and handy. I look forward to referring to it and think I am more likely to than a typical power point handout."

Support families through every chapter

Join this workshop to deepen your understanding of parenting transitions and intergenerational dynamics. Gain practical tools to help clients navigate the evolving challenges of family life—from early childhood to end-of-life decisions—with insight, empathy, and confidence.

Connect

moc.dnim-detros@anarrd
(343) 321-5060 ext 800

Address

Ottawa, Ontario

Support families through every chapter

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