Hannah and Martin welcome you to the course, where you will explore the huge impact that being parents has on your couple relationship.

Hannah discusses the importance of looking after your couple relationship as part of planning the care of a new baby, and an exercise to keep you connected post-birth.

The period leading up to the birth of your first child is both an exciting and daunting time. Hannah looks at what you can do to help yourself or a partner who is afraid of commitment, and how to identify support structures for you both.

Experiencing pregnancy and birth can bring couples together, but it can also be really tough. Martin explores two of the biggest stressors on your couple relationship after the birth; sleep deprivation and loss of intimacy.

Martin discusses how building upon your support network is really important and invites you to map out who you value and trust as a couple, to help you feel less isolated and supported in the months and years ahead.

Hannah looks at what we mean by attachment theory, what the three main attachment styles are, and how you can help your child to grow up more Secure.

Attachment theory is important not just in relation to caring for your child, but also in relation to how you as partners connect with each other. Hannah explores this with an exercise.

Have you ever wondered where your style of parenting comes from? Martin covers one of the most well-known models of parenting styles by Diana Baumrind.

Martin gives you a case study of how different parenting styles can lead to conflict in a couple, and an exercise to help you identify the influences on your own parenting styles.

Family scripts refers to our usually unconscious patterns of family interactions. Hannah describes some of the ways these inner inherited dialogues can create conflict in a couple.

Hannah considers a case study of conflicting family scripts, and walks through a family shield exercise to help you agree on scripts that better fit your family needs and aspirations.

Hannah gives you a case study to help you navigate the tension between the romantic and parenting relationship and an exercise to help you think about the quality of your time together.

Your child moving schools can create concerns related to bullying, racism, and mental health issues. Martin discusses how to manage these using a case study and an exercise.

Martin considers effective and ineffective ways of supporting your child in the transition from primary to secondary school, and a traffic light tool to help you know if your child is safe from harm.

Intimacy can ebb and flow over time in a relationship. Hannah considers how family and cultural scripts can help or hinder us with regards to intimacy.

Hannah explores how 'I statements' can help you to reduce blame and communicate more clearly. She also gives you some tips and an exercise for keeping intimacy alive.

Many couples find themselves responding defensively when managing teenagers. Hannah introduces neuroscience insights into teenage risk-taking and links this to your own experience growing up.

In times of stress, our strengths can tip unhelpfully into a defensive space. Hannah gives you an exercise to help you think about your ‘go to’ position when stressed and how you can move away from this.

Martin considers how to manage your teenager’s growing need for independence. He explores how to manage rejection from your teen as they grow and develop using two case studies.

Hannah explores how to plan for time together once your children have, perhaps temporarily, left home. She gives you an exercise to feel more aware of your needs.

Welcome back to the last session of the course! Hannah and Martin summarise the key points covered and leave you with some final thoughts about your roles as parents.