about MERTIL
MERTIL was developed by Professors Jennifer McIntosh AM and Louise Newman AM and delivered by Deakin University and the Royal Women’s Hospital. MERTIL is now based at La Trobe University and collaboration with Deakin University continues. Founded on attachment theory, this Australian-first program trains frontline workers to help protect young children from enduring effects of early relational trauma.
MERTIL upskills practitioners whose work involves encounters with infants and their families. MERTIL focuses on recognition of early signs of relational trauma, to aid prevention through rapid and sensitive response. This addresses all forms of caregiving trauma, including family violence, mental illness, grief, substance abuse, with a special focus on intergenerational trauma and at-risk populations.
MERTIL revolves around our unique online learning courses. These are supported by an extensive library of reading materials, weblinks, podcasts, and recorded webinars & case consultations, all grounded in current evidence. For more information about MERTIL’s courses, click here.
On request, the MERTIL team can deliver face-to-face workshops to complement and extend online learning. These workshops feature unique case footage to help consolidate online learning. Contact us to find out more.
MERTIL: A course for
Early Childhood Services
frontline workers
MERTIL offers training in the recognition of early trauma in the parent-child relationship, stemming from parent mental illness, grief, family violence, substance abuse, and related experiences. Moreover, MERTIL teaches options for effective immediate response by frontline services.