“The Meaning of the Child Interview is the most important development in the field of attachment and caregiving since the Adult Attachment Interview.”
Dr Steve Farnfield, course founder, Attachment Studies postgraduate programme, University of Roehampton, UK, co-editor ‘The Routledge Handbook of Attachment’
New: Coding the Meaning of the Child course (requires intro training)
Newly redesigned to take account of the publication of 'The Meaning of the Child Interview: Making Sense of Parent-Child Relationships' (B. Grey ed. expected July 2025). Requires MotC intro - … Continue reading "New: Coding the Meaning of the Child course (requires intro training)"
MotC Practice Pathway – using the MotC to understand families and plan intervention (requires intro training)
NEW: redesigned to coincide with publication of The Meaning of the Child Interview: Making Sense of Parent-child Relationships (ed. by Ben Grey, Palgrave texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy). 23-24th February … Continue reading "MotC Practice Pathway – using the MotC to understand families and plan intervention (requires intro training)"
Further Praise for ‘The Meaning of the Child: Making Sense of Parent-child Relationships
This book is essential and powerful reading for social workers, therapists and psychologists. The Meaning of the Child unlocks an understanding of attachment and caregiving for the reader and the effects of trauma and loss. The book will rightly play a part in shifting the assessment narrative on attachment to understanding and hope rather than blame and failure.”
Barry Tilzey, Assistant Director, CAFCASS (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, UK (earlier endorsement is from a former role)
“In this thoughtful and engaging book, Ben Grey harnesses the rich potential of the field of attachment research, moving beyond its tendency to obsess about types of individual child or adult insecurity. His work instead focuses on understanding relationships in their social environment. This enables creative, solution-oriented thinking about caregiving and relationships in child welfare practice.”
Robbie Duschinsky, Professor of Social Science & Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, UK
“Ben Grey and colleagues make a powerful case for recognising that relationships between parents and their children are best understood as a dynamic interplay of past histories, present socio-economic circumstances, and future hopes. It is within the context of family life that children take on meaning for their parents, and this underpins parental behaviour. Exploring the origins and nature of these meanings becomes the shared purpose of both practitioner and parent leading to safer and better relationships between caregivers and their children.”
David Howe, Emeritus Professor (Social Work), University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
“In this manual, Ben Grey has not only succeeded in offering a compassionate and context-sensitive approach to understanding parent-child relationships, but also in elegantly charting an attachment-informed approach to qualitative analysis. This unique integration is a remarkable achievement, and I recommend it highly to all clinicians and researchers engaged in supporting parents with their challenging role.”
Dr. Mark Hudson, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK
“The Meaning of the Child Interview is a sensitive, nuanced, and practical means of developing a deeper understanding of caregiver processes – bridging the research-practitioner divide. This book is the definitive guide to this assessment practice: comprehensive, informed, and drawing on the latest research and theory.”
Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling Psychology, University of Roehampton, UK