Playful | Present | Passionate

Dafna is an international trainer and supervisor for practitioners who work with children and families. She is a certified trainer and supervisor/consultant in both Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). Dafna’s expertise is drawn from 25 years of working with families with attachment in many settings: at-risk after school programs, therapeutic foster care, in-home crisis stabilization, residential care and private practice. Dafna’s style, whether as a therapist or teacher, is combining the light-hearted with the profound by bringing a playful, intense and passionate presence to every encounter. She is as likely to break out into song as engage in serious intellectual discourse.

A Model Developed by Dan Hughes

Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) Certification Program

Join Dafna Lender for a 5-day course on Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, an approach which assists therapists and other professionals to understand and effectively support children, young people and their families.

LEVEL 1
- June 5-7, 12, 13 at 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM (Central Time, USA & Canada)
- October 17, 18, 19, 23, 24 at 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM (Central Time, USA & Canada)

LEVEL 2*
- May 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 at 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM (Central Time, USA & Canada)
- December 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 2023 at 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM (Central Time, USA & Canada)

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Inspired Parenting: Parenting from an Attachment/Trauma Perspective

JOIN DAFNA LENDER FOR A FREE MONTHLY SERIES

Sessions start at 12 noon ET for one hour, with a bonus on March 17 for a two-hour special on bullying.

CE is available for live sessions only – $50 per session.

Parenthood often brings otherwise competent people to their knees as they try to deal with the frustrating behaviors or strained relationship with their child. There is nothing more painful than feeling resentful, hopeless, helpless or depressed when it comes to your parent identity. Perhaps you have already read many parenting books and vowed that you would not react negatively towards your child. Or maybe your teenager is painfully rejecting you and you vacillate between trying your hardest to be kind and crying or screaming, making things even worse. Or perhaps you feel like your child is ruining your life as he behaves in a destructive or dangerous manner and you feel frightened or out of control.

Session 1 – Friday, January 6 – How To Incorporate More Playfulness into Day-to-Day Parenting
Session 2 – Friday, February 17 – How To Regulate a Child Who Is Acting Silly/Chaotic
Session 3 – Friday, March 17 – 2-HOUR SPECIAL – Bullying: Empowerment for the Victim and Healing for the Bully
Session 4 – Friday, April 14 – How To Handle Problem Behaviors Like a Sore Loser or a Child Who Lies or Steals
Session 5 – Friday, May 12 – How To Regulate Your Reaction To Your Child
Session 6 – Friday, June 16 – How To Respond To A Child’s Nonverbal Signals
Session 7 – Wednesday, July 19 – How To Deal with Aggression and Out-of-Control Behaviors
Session 8 – Wednesday, August 16 – How To Validate A Child’s Feelings

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Dafna is a godsend, I have been to therapy to heal my own trauma to be a better parent and wasted no end of money. What I have learnt with Dafna through TRF is helping me to be the parent I have always wanted to be to my two adopted children who also have their trauma.The way Dafna talks is as though it is to me directly, her experience is visible in the examples she provides which is very relatable, whether talking about the children or how I experience my children as a parent.That saying of heal yourself first before healing your child is so true, I can now stop and think what may be coming up for me and my children through those difficult moments. Thank you TRF for introducing Dafna to my world.
Katie T.

I loved the real life examples of how to implement what Dafna taught. I've learned to be less monotone with my voice, and that part of my child's behavior is normal for their age. I also like that she talked about regulating ourselves as parents before we react to our kids.
Kristen M.

Dafna does an excellent job of explaining the approach she uses with high-needs children and teens. She gives very specific examples which are helpful to get a sense of how to use these strategies in real life. I loved when she demonstrated techniques with participants as the child or client. I like that Dafna says the hard things to parents--as in you need to work on yourself so you can show up better for your child.
Brooke F.

I liked the real life examples, and Dafna's expertise is amazing. I particularly like that she looks beyond the behavior to what is driving the behavior. And the ideas about body placement, eye-contact, touch or no touch in regards to connection and de-escalation are priceless.
Michele T.

I liked Dafna's straightforwardness. She obviously knows the common problems parents are facing and is able to talk directly about the solutions. I like how her approach is compassionate, and she opened up my mind about how a child's nervous system could be affecting their behavior.
Stephanie W.