Professional Development

Summa Institute brings a fresh view of relationships that actively support the well-being of children, adults, families, and organizational systems. Our professional development programs focus on self-discovery, skill development, and the practical application of the most up-to-date theory and scholarship. Rooted in the Natural Learning Relationships approach, their inherent flexibility allows us to easily respond to the specific needs of individual professionals and their organizations.

We provide professional development training for:

• Teachers seeking professional development
• Social service agency providers
• Graduate students and post-doc interns seeking practicum experience
• Continuing education units (CEU) for professionals: counselors, teachers, etc.

Our trainings provide the information, skills, and tools needed to:

• Deal effectively with differences and increase successful communication
• Establish trust and safety quickly
• Directly resolve conflict
• Work with the real-life questions and issues specific to their context

We are also available to give presentations and lectures on a variety of subjects in your organization.

How NLR Can Benefit The Professional:

As A Professional With A Solid Grounding In Natural Learning Relationships, You Will:

• Feel more confident and competent in supporting optimal well-being in children and in families
• Be able to set up developmentally appropriate environments for children and optimize the value of your existing programs
• Know how to build supportive educational environments that create an effective bridge between the child’s home and school life
• Understand how to share a common practice of educating and nurturing the whole-child with parents, counselors, and other teachers
• Understand how to be appreciative of others’ beliefs and values
• Know how to create developmentally appropriate relationships with children through effective language use