Child to Parent Violence (CPV) is an often misunderstood and under-recognized form of family violence that leaves parents feeling overwhelmed, ashamed, isolated, and unsure where to turn for help. This training provides a comprehensive, trauma-informed exploration of child to parent violence, examining the complex interplay between early attachment experiences, relational trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and family systems that contribute to aggressive, controlling, or violent behaviors directed toward caregivers.
Participants will learn how CPV differs from typical childhood defiance or behavioral challenges and why traditional behavior management strategies often fail to address the root causes of these behaviors. Drawing from attachment theory, developmental neuroscience, and relational trauma research, this training reframes child to parent violence not as willful “bad behavior,” but as a signal of unmet needs, chronic stress, and maladaptive survival responses within the brain and body. Special attention will be given to how early adversity—including neglect, emotional abuse, disrupted attachment, exposure to domestic violence, and chronic relational stress—can shape a child’s capacity for regulation, impulse control, and safe relational engagement.