This introductory webinar provides psychotherapists with a foundational understanding of Inner Child Work and its role in promoting emotional healing, self-awareness, and lasting therapeutic change. Participants will explore how early childhood experiences shape core beliefs, emotional responses, attachment patterns, and protective coping strategies that continue to influence functioning throughout adulthood. Drawing from attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and parts-oriented approaches, this training examines how clinicians can help clients identify younger emotional parts, understand emotional triggers, and begin the process of healing unmet developmental needs. Practical interventions, including guided reflection, journaling, reparenting strategies, and compassionate self-dialogue, will be introduced to help clinicians integrate Inner Child Work into a variety of therapeutic settings.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to
- Describe the foundational concepts of Inner Child Work and explain how childhood experiences influence adult emotional, relational, and behavioral patterns.
- Identify how attachment experiences, emotional triggers, and protective coping strategies contribute to present-day psychological functioning.
- Apply at least two Inner Child Work interventions to help clients develop self-awareness, foster self-compassion, and begin healing unresolved childhood wounds.
Syllabus:
Introduction
-
Define the concept of the inner child as a metaphor for younger emotional parts shaped by past experiences.
-
Differentiate inner child work from common misconceptions and understand its relationship to evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
-
Explore how attachment experiences, emotional learning, and nervous system responses influence adult thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Objective #1: Understanding the Inner Child
-
The inner child as an emotional memory network
-
The role of attachment experiences in emotional development
-
How unmet childhood needs influence adult relationships
-
The connection between core beliefs, emotional patterns, and present-day functioning
Objective #2: The Brain, Nervous System, and Emotional Triggers
-
The role of the amygdala in detecting perceived threats
-
Why emotional triggers occur in adulthood
-
Trauma responses and protective adaptations
-
Understanding emotional activation through a compassionate lens
Objective #3: Applying Inner Child Work in Clinical Practice
-
Identifying younger emotional parts during therapy
-
Helping clients recognize unmet developmental needs
-
Reframing symptoms as adaptive survival responses
-
Supporting clients in developing self-awareness and self-compassion
Objective #4: Therapeutic Interventions
-
Naming younger emotional parts
-
Reflective questioning and guided exploration
-
Letter-writing exercises
-
Journaling prompts
-
Identifying and challenging long-standing core beliefs
-
Developing reparenting strategies that promote emotional healing and resilience
Objective #5: Integration into Clinical Practice
-
Using mindfulness to increase awareness of emotional activation
-
Supporting corrective emotional experiences
-
Helping clients meet unmet emotional needs in healthy ways
-
Ethical considerations and appropriate use of inner child interventions across therapeutic settings
Summary / Q&A
-
Review of key concepts
-
Practical applications for clinical work
- Questions and discussion
Social workers completing this course receive 1 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 1 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Dreya Blume, LCSW
Recording Date: June 17, 2026
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2025 - 08/6/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 1hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
System Requirements: Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari, Edge on any modern operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS). A desktop browser is recommended. We do not provide support resources for issues encountered using a mobile device.
Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com