Building Early Foundations: Lessons from a Caregiver Drop-In Clinic
Kym Ventola, M.S.
4th Year Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology
Antioch University New England
For this article, the term “caregiver” is used broadly to include any adult providing care for a young child, including biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, kinship caregivers, and other family members supporting children ages 0–6.
When my practicum supervisor suggested that I create and facilitate a caregiver drop-in clinic, I immediately started thinking about the group itself. I wondered how many caregivers would attend, what questions they might ask, and whether I would be able to keep the conversation flowing. As it turned out, facilitating the group was the easy part. The hardest part was everything that came before the first session: identifying a need, reviewing the literature, creating a structure, developing caregiver handouts, arranging logistics, promoting the program, and figuring out how to translate evidence-based information into something that would actually feel useful to a tired caregiver at the end of a long day.
I developed the clinic during my third-year Psy.D. practicum in integrated behavioral health at a rural New Hampshire medical center, where I provided services in both pediatric and OB-GYN settings. Like many trainees, I was managing clinical work, supervision, coursework, and dissertation planning while trying to make the most of a training experience that offered opportunities to create something new. Outside of those roles, I was also parenting a child who is neurodivergent and has complex support needs, an experience that frequently made me aware that even the best recommendations must fit within the realities of family life.
The result was the Early Foundations Drop-In Clinic, a psychoeducational group for caregivers of children ages 0–6 focused on four topics that repeatedly surfaced during pediatric behavioral health consultations: sleep, feeding, toileting, and behavior. The program consisted of a four-session series that was offered twice during the practicum year, giving families multiple opportunities to participate. During the second cycle, I introduced a feedback form to better understand participant experiences and identify opportunities to strengthen the group.
Building the Program
Developing the clinic began with identifying the concerns I encountered most often during pediatric behavioral health consultations. Caregivers frequently sought support around bedtime struggles, picky eating, toilet learning, and behavioral challenges. While these concerns were common, many caregivers had few opportunities to talk with others, navigating similar experiences.
Creating the program requires far more than selecting topics. I spent many hours reviewing literature on child development, attachment, caregiver coaching, behavioral interventions, and psychoeducation. Much of the content was informed by developmental and relationship-based frameworks that emphasize connection, felt safety, co-regulation, and caregiver-child relationships as foundations for healthy development (Siegel, 2012). I also drew from resources developed by Zero to Three and Dr. Ross Greene’s Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model, which encouraged caregivers to become curious about the reasons behind a child’s behavior rather than focusing solely on stopping it (Greene, 2014; Zero to Three, n.d.).
As I developed caregiver handouts, discussion prompts, and session outlines, I kept returning to one question: What would a caregiver find useful when they got home? I quickly learned that caregivers brought valuable knowledge about their own children. My role was not to have all the answers, but to share information, guide discussion, and create a space where families could learn from one another.
One aspect of the project that is easy to overlook when discussing the final product is the amount of work required to create it. By the time the first group was offered, I had spent many hours reading, writing, revising, consulting with my supervisor, and refining materials. As trainees, we often focus on direct clinical hours because they are easy to count. This project reminded me that some of the most meaningful professional growth occurs in the less visible hours—the planning, reading, writing, creating, and revising—that happen behind the scenes.
The same is true of caregiving, where growth commonly happens quietly, one moment at a time.
Learning About Groups
One of the most meaningful lessons I learned involved the difference between delivering information and facilitating a group experience. As a trainee, I initially focused heavily on content. I wanted the information to be accurate and evidence based. However, I began to realize that the most meaningful moments happened when psychoeducation, reflection, and
caregiver-to-caregiver conversation intersected. Caregivers shared stories of feeling frustrated or
noting small wins, which resonated with others in the room. A caregiver describing a two-hour bedtime routine would often be met with nods of recognition from others. A caregiver discussing toilet-learning challenges would find that similar struggles existed among others. These interactions reminded me of Yalom and Leszcz’s (2020) description of universality, in which individuals experience relief and connection by recognizing that others share similar struggles. What began as a psychoeducation group became a space where information, normalization, mutual support, and shared learning reinforced one another.
Although the clinic was not designed as a psychotherapy group, many of the therapeutic factors described in the group literature emerged naturally. Universality, imparting information, instilling hope, and observational learning frequently appeared throughout discussions.
Caregivers often seemed reassured by learning more about child development and behavior, as well as by hearing how other families were coping with similar challenges. The information provided context; the group helped bring it to life. Another powerful aspect of the group involved learning by observation. Children remained nearby with childcare support during the sessions, creating opportunities for caregivers to observe interactions between behavioral health staff, early childhood professionals, and children. Caregivers were able to watch co-regulation strategies, supportive communication, and developmentally appropriate expectations unfold in real time.
The developmental concepts discussed in the group were similarly grounded in relationship-based perspectives. Consistent with Siegel’s (2012) emphasis on the importance of relationships in shaping development, many conversations focused on connection, co-regulation, and understanding behavior within a developmental context. Likewise, Greene’s collaborative problem-solving approach provided a useful framework for understanding behavioral challenges, helping caregivers shift from centering solely on behavior management to asking, “What skills might my child be struggling with, and how can I help?” By the end of the group, I came to appreciate that psychoeducation is most powerful when it is paired with opportunities for observation, discussion, reflection, and connection.
Lessons in Implementation
Attendance was strongest for sessions focused on sleep and behavior, two of the most common concerns caregivers brought to pediatric behavioral health visits. Challenges in these areas often affect the entire family, shaping routines, stress levels, and daily life. Caregivers
consistently shared that they valued both the information and the opportunity to connect with others. They also helped identify practical challenges, including scheduling and limited awareness of the group. Introducing a feedback form during the second cycle reminded me that the most useful groups evolve through ongoing input from the people who attend them.
Caregiver feedback often influenced the direction of our discussions and highlighted opportunities to improve the group. Several caregivers also expressed interest in additional behavioral health support, reminding me that even brief group experiences can help families feel more comfortable seeking care.
Looking Back
Perhaps the most important lesson I learned was that meaningful group work can occur in places we do not always expect. I entered this project focused on crafting meaningful psychoeducational content. I left with a stronger appreciation for how information, connection, mutual experience, and collective learning can work together to support caregivers. While the Early Foundations Drop-In Clinic was designed as a psychoeducational intervention, many of the same group processes described in the literature emerged naturally through caregiver interaction. As a practicum student, I gained skills in identifying a clinical need, developing a program, creating educational materials, facilitating discussion, gathering feedback, and adapting a service based on participant experiences. I learned that effective group facilitation requires flexibility, curiosity, and a willingness to follow the group’s energy rather than depending solely on prepared content. Most importantly, I learned that caregivers often arrive seeking answers and leave noticing the strengths, wisdom, and connection that already exist within a community of caregivers.
References
Greene, R. W. (2014). The explosive child (5th ed.). Harper.
Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). The whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind. Delacorte Press.
Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (6th ed.).
Basic Books. Zero to Three. (n.d.). Zero to Three. https://www.zerotothree.org