Bekman Psychology is pleased to announce the launch of Project ACORN: Advancing Colorado’s Response to the Mental Health Needs of Young Children. From little acorns, mighty oaks grow.
Project ACORN is a new initiative that aims to expand and strengthen Colorado’s infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) workforce by providing specialized trainings in evidence-based treatments and best practices for young children aged 0-5 and their families. We support both the clinical infant/early childhood mental health and allied IECMH workforce across Colorado.
Project ACORN will offer a number of trainings to expand Colorado’s capacity to promote the healthy social emotional development of young children and to provide treatment when early beginnings have been bumpy and compromised the mental health of Colorado’s littlest residents. Project ACORN offerings are grounded in the science of infant/early childhood development and the premise that young children’s healing is best facilitated in the context of their primary caregiving relationships.
Who is Colorado’s IECMH workforce?
Colorado’s IECMH workforce is vast and includes both clinical mental health providers and non-clinical professionals who play vital roles in the lives of very young children. If you work with young children in Colorado, please consider joining us!
We offer training to mental health clinicians to support them in gaining the specialized knowledge and skills to treat infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families from a developmentally sensitive, relationship-based stance. Additionally, we support allied providers who play an essential role in identifying and referring young children and their families to IECMH services when concerns are present.
Why focus on infancy and early childhood?
The science of early childhood provides us a powerful framework for understanding how development unfolds, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track when it is disrupted. Decades of research have established that sound mental health is built early in life and the first five years provide the foundation for children’s later success and future lifelong health. When young children experience adversity (like the loss of a caregiver, abuse or neglect, or exposure to violence), intervening as early as possible is critical to achieving the best outcomes. It is also far more cost effective. Earlier is easier!
Current and Upcoming IECMH Training Offerings:
Child-Parent Psychotherapy Learning Collaborative
This 18-month, implementation level CPP Learning Collaborative co-facilitated by endorsed Colorado CPP trainers Drs. Shannon Bekman and Jay Willoughby will begin January 26, 2026- January 30, 2026. Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is an evidence-based treatment model for children aged 0-5 who have experienced traumatic events and/or are experiencing mental health, attachment, or behavioral problems. A detailed overview of the training and eligibility criteria can be found here. Applications are now closed.
The Ripple Effect: An Integrative Framework for Trauma Informed Practice Across Systems
August 31 and September 1, 2026
This no-cost, virtual 2-day workshop presented by Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen will provide an integrative framework for understanding and communicating across systems about how trauma can affect a child, a family, and a system. This workshop offers foundational trauma knowledge for providers learning about evidence-based trauma treatments and highlights ways to share trauma theory with family members and across systems (e.g. schools, child welfare workers, mental health, medical practitioners, police) as we work jointly to lessen the impact of trauma exposure.
Project ACORN will host this workshop for Colorado infant and early childhood professionals on August 31 and September 1, 2026 from 9:00am-2:30pm. This training will occur via Zoom and registration details will be announced via Project ACORN’s mailing list (scroll down to sign up below!). We welcome all Colorado infant and early childhood professionals; registration will be capped at 500 attendees.
For more information, please see this Save the Date.
Connecting the Dots: A Learning Series on the Intersection of Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use
September 15, 22, 29, and October 13, 2026
This training aims to bridge the knowledge gap by increasing provider awareness of best practices in the evaluation, conceptualization, and treatment of perinatal substance use disorders. Together, we can ensure that perinatal professionals across Colorado are equipped with the data, knowledge and skill set to recognize and effectively respond to substance use concerns during pregnancy, early parenthood, and with the birthing parent/child dyad. This training is intended for Colorado’s multidisciplinary providers who work with the perinatal, infant and early childhood population. We invite a diverse group of providers and perspectives to learn alongside us! This series of four lunch-hour trainings will be offered virtually via Zoom on September 15, 22, 29, and October 13, 2026 from 12:30-1:30pm MT.
Registration information will be forthcoming; please sign up for Project ACORN’s mailing list to ensure you receive the announcement when registration opens.
Circle of Security Trainings
Project ACORN will sponsor three different Circle of Security trainings in the fall of 2026:
Circle of Security- Parenting Facilitator Training (English)
Circle of Security -Parenting Facilitator Training (Spanish)
Circle of Security Classroom (English)
COS Parenting Facilitator Training - English and Spanish
Prepares professionals to facilitate the flagship Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) program with parents and caregivers. This comprehensive training distills 60 years of research from attachment, neuroscience, psychodynamic theory, and child development into a structured framework that helps families understand their children's needs and strengthen relationships. Upon completion, participants become Registered COSP Facilitators with access to exclusive resources and the ability to deliver this engagement program in group or one-on-one settings. The training welcomes professionals from multiple disciplines who work with families and caregivers in various capacities including mental health treatment providers, early childhood mental health consultants, family support workers, healthcare providers and all allied infant/early childhood professionals. Training includes both live Zoom sessions as well as asynchronous training watching videos.
Circle of Security Classroom Coach
COS Classroom Coach Training offers comprehensive specialized development for professionals who want to coach educators in COS Classroom. This practice-based coaching model provides the essential bridge between understanding attachment concepts and implementing them effectively in group classroom strategies and within specific relationships. Training includes six months of access to COS Classroom Foundations - Coach Edition and both live and self-paced coursework with 40+ hours of total learning opportunities. The coach training starts with the coach’s edition of COS Classroom Foundations course. Learn how to translate the science of attachment through the lens of Circle of Security into practical classroom applications. The coach’s edition features video clips of Bert Powell, one of the Circle of Security co-originators. Follow along to deepen your understanding of the attachment science that makes the Circle of Security model of change so powerful. Crosswalk the theoretical underpinnings of attachment science with the Circle of Security model of change, taking a closer look at the theory and knowledge from attachment research, social learning, family systems theory, psychodynamic theory, infant mental health, and early childhood development.
Who this training is for: This course is most appropriate for professionals who offer mental health consultation to early educators with the goal of enhancing teacher-child relationships (such as early childhood mental health consultants who provide consultation in early care and learning settings).
Schedule:
The training includes both synchronous and asynchronous components.
Access Date (to online modules)- Aug. 31
Live Group meeting times: (6 meetings)
Meeting 1: September 3, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Orientation
[participants must complete online (asynchronous) COSC Foundations- Coach Edition before next call]
Meeting 2: September 24, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Unit 1: COSC Coaching Framework
Meeting 3: October 1, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Unit 2: Observation and Assessment
Meeting 4: October 8, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Unit 3: Action Plan
Meeting 5: October 15, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Unit 4: Relationship-Friendly Classrooms
Meeting 6: October 22, Thursday, 4:00-6:00 MT Coach Support
For more detailed information about COS Classroom Coach please see the description on COSI’s website: Sep-Oct 2026 COS Classroom Coach Training
Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: DC:0-5™ Clinical Training Institute
The DC:0-5™ Clinical Training is designed for advanced practitioners such as mental health clinicians, psychiatrists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners and early interventionists whose work with infants, young children and their families involves expert assessment, diagnosis, and case formulation. Attendees will learn about the multiaxial approach to diagnosis, which is developmentally informed, relationship-based, and culturally grounded. The training allows clinicians to have in-depth knowledge of the approach and content of DC:0-5 and to practice application of this nosology with the support of peers and certified ZTT trainers through activities and case examples.
This training is offered at no cost to Colorado early childhood clinicians and participants will receive a free DC:0-5™ manual. This 15-hour, virtual training will be offered on April 20, 21 and 24, 2026 from 9:00am-2:00pm. For more details, please see training flyer. Applications for April are now closed. *Due to demand, additional DC:0-5™ trainings will be offered in June and November 2026.
Past Trainings
CE-CERT: Sustaining a Career in the Helping Professions
Components for Enhancing Career Experience and Reducing Trauma
CE-CERT is suite of evidence-informed skills designed to support well-being in professionals who are exposed to secondary trauma. This training goes beyond the usual discussion of secondary traumatic stress and burnout to provide specific, practical skills that can be applied to the very real stress that is produced by this work. The CE-CERT model focuses on 5 key skill domains that enable you to stay engaged, process intense experiences effectively and recover from stress. The goal of CE-CERT is not just to help you survive your work, but to have a vocation that is uniquely and deeply satisfying.
Project ACORN will host a CE-CERT Foundations training with model developer Dr. Brian Miller on February 25-26, 2026, in Denver, CO. We will offer an optional CE-CERT Supervisors training on March 30, 2026, specifically designed for supervisors seeking to integrate the CE-CERT practice domains into their approach to supervision. There will be an opportunity for a small number of supervisors to attend monthly consultation calls. As part of our initiative to promote Colorado’s infant and early childhood mental health workforce, we are offering these trainings at no cost to at least 75 Colorado infant/early childhood professionals. More information can be found detailed here.
Applications are now closed.
Want to stay informed of our upcoming free IECMH trainings?
Bekman Psychology is grateful to the Colorado Department of Early Childhood for their generous financial support of Project ACORN.
