Our programs
Our original Tuning in to Kids® program teaches emotion coaching skills to parents and carers of children 3 – 10 years old.
When parents and carers use emotion coaching skills with their children it helps to develop their emotional intelligence, meaning that children are better able to talk about and regulate their feelings, work through challenging experiences and behave and respond in socially appropriate ways. Emotion coaching also helps to prevent and reduce mental health problems.
By learning to use emotion coaching skills, many parents and carers find their children talk to them more, want greater contact with them and share more of their emotional experiences with them. The program also helps parents and carers reflect on the ways they cope with their own emotions, and teaches skills in managing and expressing emotions when parenting.
Tuning in to Kids teaches parents and carers to:
- Notice children’s emotions before they become overwhelmed
- Accept, validate and empathise with their child’s emotions
- Help their child reflect upon or name their emotions
- Assist the child to work through the emotion
- Help their child problem solve if necessary
Tuning in to Kids® was originally developed by Professor Sophie Havighurst and Ann Harley in 1999 and is evidence based. A number of randomised controlled trials and pilot studies have been conducted by our team as well as researchers in different countries around the world. See our research for further information.
Tuning in to Teens® is an adaptation of the Tuning in to Kids® parenting program that teaches parents and carers emotion coaching skills while focusing on the developmental needs of teenagers (11 – 18 years old). There is a greater emphasis on acceptance/empathy and helping parents and carers to manage their own responses when adolescents reject or push them away as they seek greater autonomy.
Tuning in to Teens® was developed by Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ann Harley and Dr Christiane Kehoe in 2012, and a second edition of the program was published in 2019. Tuning in to Teens®is evidence-based and has had two randomised control trials demonstrating improved parenting, parent-teen relationships and adolescent mental health.
Dads Tuning in to Kids™ is a further adaptation of the Tuning in to Kids® parenting program that focuses on the father-child emotional connection. It teaches the same skills in emotion coaching that are taught in Tuning in to Kids®, while providing additional content relevant to fathers and modifications to some program activities and processes. Dads Tuning in to Kids™ has been strongly endorsed by fathers, with feedback that it is a welcome addition to the Tuning in to Kids® programs on offer.
Dads Tuning in to Kids™ was developed by Dr Katherine Wilson, Professor Sophie Havighurst and Ann Harley as an ‘add-on’ program, suitable for use by Tuning in to Kids®trained facilitators who would like to offer men’s parenting groups. Dads Tuning in to Kids™ is evidence based, with a randomised control trial of the program showing improved parenting, parent-child relationships and child behaviour as well as improvements in fathers’ partners’ emotional wellbeing and parenting.
Tuning in to Toddlers® is a further adaptation of the Tuning in to Kids parenting program for parents of children aged 12 – 47 months. The program teaches parents skills in emotion coaching with greater emphasis on non-verbal ways of responding to emotions and a focus on responding to the attachment and exploration needs of younger children.
Tuning in to Toddlers was developed by Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ann Harley and Dr Christiane Kehoe. Tuning in to Toddlers is evidence-based, with a pilot study and subsequent randomised control trial, completed in 2018, showing improved parents’ emotion coaching and children’s emotional functioning and also reduced stress cortisol levels in toddlers (measured using hair samples at 15 months follow up).
On the basis of these findings, resources for a new Tuning in to Toddlers professional training workshop are currently being developed.
Tuning in to Students™ is a professional learning program that helps teachers build emotionally intelligent classrooms through Emotion Coaching. Based on the highly regarded, evidence-based Tuning in to Kids® and Tuning in to Teens® programs, Tuning in to Students™ helps educators how to recognise, understand and respond constructively to students’ emotions – turning emotional moments into opportunities for growth and connection. Designed for primary and secondary school settings, the program builds teachers’ and students’ emotion understanding and regulation skills to foster a positive classroom climate and strengthen social-emotional learning.
Tuning in to Students™ equips teachers with skills in Emotion Coaching to:
• Identify early signs of student distress
• Validate and support students’ emotional experiences
• Guide emotion regulation and problem-solving
• Promote a calm, respectful, and engaged classroom emotional climate
The training in Tuning in to Students is for accredited Tuning in to Kids/Teens facilitators interested in working with teachers in schools to help them learn about emotion coaching with children/adolescents in the school setting. In this training you will learn how to train teachers to use emotion coaching with students in the one-to-one setting, with small groups of students and also in the classroom setting. This training is for those who have a professional role where they train or support teachers in the school setting.
The Tuning in to Students program is a variant of the Tuning in to Kids/Tuning in to Teens parenting program for use with teachers (you can see a detailed description of the program in the journal of Mental Health & Prevention here).
Experience in delivery of Tuning in to Kids/Teens programs and work within the school setting is required, as a more comprehensive understanding of the Tuning In programs and schools is necessary for providing training to teachers.
The following are the pre-requisite requirements for facilitators to attend Tuning in to Students training:
• Trained in either Tuning in to Kids (if working with primary school teachers) or Tuning in to Teens (if working with secondary school teachers)
• Working within a school setting – e.g. student well-being staff, psychologist, counsellor, occupational therapist or other relevant profession supporting teachers
OR
• Connected to a school – e.g. individuals or organisations with proof of conducting prior professional development work with teachers
• Experience in group work delivery of Tuning in to Kids or Tuning in to Teens (or combination), including delivery of Tuning in to Kids/Tuning in to Teens parenting groups (ideally you will have conducted 3-4 parenting groups) or experience in delivery of the Tuning in to Kids/Tuning in to Teens material to groups of teachers.
OR
Experience in the delivery of Tuning in to Kids or Tuning in to Teens programs in a one-on-one setting (ideally you will have delivered Tuning in to Kids or Tuning in to Teens to at least 8 parents) or experience in supporting teachers in the one-to-one setting (e.g. experience in supporting teachers to use Tuning in to Kids or Tuning in to Teens in the one-to-one setting).
Teachers Tuning in to Students – A direct training for teachers
If you are a teacher interested in directly using emotion coaching in your work with children/adolescents at school, please register your interest by contacting tik-info@unimelb.edu.au
In this training you will learn about the application of emotion coaching with students in the one-to-one setting, with small groups of students and also in the classroom setting. The program provides you with videos of regulation strategies that can be used to regulate the classroom climate. You can see a detailed description of the program in the journal of Mental Health & Prevention here.
Stay tuned for more details on how to access the program and join us in building emotionally supportive school communities.
Tuning in to Kids® for Kindergartens/Childcare
An adaptation of Tuning in to Kids® for kindergarten teachers and early educators has been developed by the Tuning in to Kids® team with the release of the program anticipated in late 2026.