Coding the Meaning of the Child Interview

Newly redesigned to take account of the publication of The Meaning of the Child Interview: Making Sense of Parent-Child Relationships, edited by Ben Grey (Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2026).

This course teaches the skills and understanding needed to use the Meaning of the Child Interview as an assessment tool in practice. It covers the formal process of analysing parental discourse, elicited by an interview, in order to make sense of the parent-child relationship. On completing the reliability test to the required standard, participants may be accredited as reliable coders and code for themselves or for others.

Live online via Zoom, 10am to 4.30pm UK time.

Part one: 25 to 27 January 2027.
Part two: 22 to 23 March 2027.

Practice interview coding is offered between the two parts and afterwards, supported by email. All five days must be attended, or the recordings viewed. Sessions are recorded where possible.

Practice coding is done as a group, so once the training has started we will share participants' email addresses within the group, so that you can support each other. If you have any difficulty with this, please email enquiries@attachment.services.

Course tutors: Dr Ben Grey and Juliet Kesteven.

Who the course is for

The Introduction to the MotC (Principles of Practice) course, or previous MotC training, is required. The course may also suit those who have done previous MotC training and now wish to work towards reliability, who should choose the refresher ticket.

Participants will need to buy a copy of the MotC handbook, The Meaning of the Child Interview: Making Sense of Parent-Child Relationships (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026), as it forms part of the training. Details of how to obtain it at a discount will be given on registration.

About the Meaning of the Child Interview

The MotC is a method of understanding the parent-child relationship through evaluating the way parents think about their child. It uses a semi-structured interview in which parents talk about their child, their relationship with their child, and their parenting, which is then carefully analysed using a manualised system.

Booking and payment

The ticket price includes five days of live online teaching, course materials, practice tuition supported by email, and accreditation of the reliability test. It does not include the MotC handbook, which is bought separately (see above). Tickets are paid securely by credit or debit card. If you need us to invoice your employer, or would prefer to pay by bank transfer, please email enquiries@attachment.services.

A reduced rate is available to students, those who are unwaged, and those returning to the course as a refresher.

Cancellation

Should Cambridge Centre for Attachment need to cancel a training for any reason, a full refund will be issued.

Further information about the MotC is at meaningofthechild.org.