IN-PERSON WORKSHOP OFFERED IN HALIFAX, NS
Bringing Baby Home
Couples Workshop
Prepare for parenthood while protecting the relationship at the heart of your family.
Having a baby is exciting, but it can also bring enormous changes to your relationship, your identity, your routines, and the way you imagine your future.
The Bringing Baby Home Parents Workshop, developed by The Gottman Institute, is a research-based program designed to help parents navigate the transition to parenthood while strengthening their relationship, improving communication, and building skills for working together as a parenting team.
You may be wondering:
How will having a baby change our relationship?
What happens when we disagree about parenting?
How do we stay connected when we're exhausted and overwhelmed?
A stronger relationship is part of preparing for your baby.
Becoming parents can shift almost everything: how you spend your time, how household responsibilities are divided, how you handle conflict, how you experience intimacy, and how you understand yourself and your partner.
The Bringing Baby Home workshop helps you prepare for those changes rather than simply reacting to them once they happen.
Research from the Gottman Institute has found that many couples experience a substantial decline in relationship quality during the early years of parenthood. The workshop was developed to help couples strengthen their friendship, manage conflict, support one another, and work together as parents.
Supporting Your Relationship Through Parenthood
The Bringing Baby Home workshop helps you prepare for the transition to parenthood by strengthening your relationship, improving communication and conflict management, and building confidence as a parenting team. Together, you’ll explore how to stay connected through change, navigate differences in expectations and parenting approaches, share responsibilities, support your baby’s emotional development, and build a strong network of support around your growing family.
Whether you’re expecting your first baby, already parenting a young child, or planning to grow your family, this workshop offers a chance to be intentional about the family life you’re creating. It’s especially helpful for couples and parenting partners who want to feel more prepared, connected, and confident as they move into this new chapter - whatever your family structure or stage of the journey.
What makes this different from couples therapy?
The Bringing Baby Home workshop is education, not psychotherapy. Rather than focusing on one couple's individual relationship concerns, the workshop teaches research-based concepts and practical skills that parents can use as they move through the transition to parenthood.
As a Registered Psychotherapist who works with both couples and individuals (and as a parent myself!), I also understand how much this transition can affect you personally - not just your relationship. My goal is to create a warm, thoughtful environment where you can learn, reflect, talk with your partner, and leave with concrete tools you can actually use.
What to expect
during the workshop:
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A supportive environment
You'll learn alongside other expecting and new parents who are navigating many of the same questions, changes, and uncertainties.
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Learning, conversation & practical exercises
This isn't a lecture you simply sit through. The workshop incorporates short videos, discussion, reflection, exercises, and opportunities to practise new skills.
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Two full days together
The Bringing Baby Home Workshop is a 12-hour program delivered over two days in an in-person group setting.
Frequently asked questions
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The live Bringing Baby Home Parents Workshop is 12 hours delivered over two days. Expect each day to last about eight hours with breaks. During the day, we schedule a couple of breaks and take an hour for lunch (not supplied).
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We will be hosting the workshop in a private space in the Halifax Peninsula. Exact location will be announced later as we firm up details.
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No. This is a psychoeducational workshop, not psychotherapy. It is not a substitute for individual or couples therapy, and the workshop does not involve individualized assessment or treatment.
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The workshop costs $400 per couple. This covers both days and materials given to participants.
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Because this is a workshop rather than psychotherapy, it may not be reimbursed under psychotherapy benefits. Check with your insurance provider before registering.
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Bringing Baby Home is a research-based parenting education program developed by The Gottman Institute to help families prepare for the transition to parenthood. The program focuses on strengthening the couple relationship, managing conflict, building effective co-parenting skills, supporting baby development, and creating a strong foundation for family life.
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The workshop is designed for expecting and new parents. It can also be valuable for people who are preparing to grow their family and want to intentionally prepare their relationship for the transition to parenthood.
The Gottman Institute notes that the workshop can be especially useful before or during pregnancy, while it can also be completed after the baby arrives.
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No. The workshop is intended for parents and parenting partners across a range of family structures.
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The workshop is designed with parenting partners in mind, and attending together is highly recommended.
The Gottman Institute also notes that parents who do not have a partner may attend with another trusted person who will play an important role in their child's life.
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Absolutely! The skills and conversations covered in the workshop can be useful before pregnancy as you begin thinking intentionally about your future family. The program is particularly well suited to people who want to prepare for the transition rather than waiting until they are already overwhelmed by it.
Questions? We’ve got answers.
