Course Benefits

What You Will Learn
  • Optimal development from birth to late adolescence
  • Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
  • Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development
  • The impacts of maltreatment on development

What You Will Get
  • Detailed description of each developmental age
  • Techniques to aid development
  • List of resources for further study

Course Curriculum

    1. Introduction

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Differences Between Optimal Development and Maltreatment

    2. Child Development Models

    1. Optimal Development

    2. Maltreatment's Impacts on Development

    3. Techniques and Resources to Aid Development

    1. Optimal Development

    2. Maltreatment's Impacts on Development

    3. Techniques and Resources to Aid Development

    1. Optimal Development

    2. Maltreatment's Impacts on Development

    3. Techniques and Resources to Aid Development

    1. Optimal Development

    2. Maltreatment's Impacts on Development

    3. Techniques and Resources to Aid Development

About this course

  • $20.00
  • 20 lessons
  • 2 hours of video content

Meet Your Instructors

Michelle Lunka

MS, LAMFT, TBRI® Practitioner

Michelle is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been working with children and families in the child welfare system since 1999. She is a TBRI Practitioner and has served as a foster parent herself. Currently, Michelle oversees the Pregnancy Counseling Program, Infant and DCS Adoptions, Safe Families for Children Arizona Chapter, and Family Empowerment Services at Christian Family Care.

Shelly Utzke

Foster Care Program Manager

Before becoming the Statewide Director of Foster Care, Shelly served as a Foster Family Specialist, Coordinator, Supervisor, and then the Program Manager at Christian Family Care. Before her employment with CFC, she spent 14 years at A New Leaf serving youth and families. Shelly and her husband fostered children for 25 years and have adopted two children. Shelly earned her associate’s in Early Childhood Development, a bachelor’s in Psychology, and is close to completing her Master’s in Management.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why should I take this course?

    Oftentimes trauma and maltreatment impact the optimal development of the child and it is important for parents and caregivers to know what is within the typical range of developmental appropriateness and what is a result of maltreatment. This course is perfect for those who are seeing adverse development in their child and can determine if it is due to maltreatment. You will get tips on how to better understand that child and help impact their development.

  • Will I receive a certificate of completion for the course?

    Yes! Every course comes with a certificate of completion that has been approved by the Arizona Department of Child Safety when the last lesson is reached. This certificate will have the learner's name, the title of the course, the credit hours, and the date of completion.

  • Can I watch the courses together with my spouse or do we each have to have our own log in?

    Just like our in-person courses, the pricing is based per participant. Each purchase should be logged under an individual’s name, and only that name will be tied to the proof of participation.

  • What is the format of the course content?

    Each of the courses are made up of a variety of modules with lessons within each. These lessons are made up of short videos to watch. Learners must complete the video before they can advance to the next lesson. There is also a variety of “process questions” throughout each lesson to help learners apply lessons from the videos. Each learner must also complete a final assessment quiz to receive a certificate.

  • Can I interact with other people/instructors in the course?

    Yes! Each lesson has a forum where learners can either post or answer a question for discussion to keep the learning going.