What is FAN?

FAN is a mental framework and practical tool developed for professionals working with families. It helps you attune to the caregivers you work with, stay grounded, and deepens your reflective practice. The model supports the parallel process and protects against burnout. It is also an effective approach in supervisory and leadership roles.  

FAN: 

  • helps you decide in the moment how to respond, based on reading another’s cues. 

  • helps you stay aware of and regulate your own reactions.  

  • supports your capacity to reflect after an interaction and think about what would be helpful in the future. 

It’s not another curriculum or task to do; rather, it’s a way of being. We offer several types of trainings. Find out which one is best for you:

Explore Trainings

  • Facilitating Attuned INteractions. The tool itself is shaped like a fan, and we took some license with the name.

  • It blends multi-day trainings with FAN-focused reflective consultation over 7 months. Program staff and their supervisors participate as a team within a cohort of 15-30 professionals.

    The training experience starts with 2 days of virtual or in-person training, followed by about 6 hours of supported practice spread over 7 months. Program staff practices with families on their caseload for 6 months. Program supervisors participate in monthly mentoring sessions via Zoom. Your experience culminates with a final training day about 7 months after the initial training days.

  • A full training is 18 hours spread out over 3 full days or 6 half days. You can expect to spend around 9 hours of practice between the Level 1 and Level 2 trainings. 

    Communities of Practice and Booster trainings vary in length, between 1 and 6 hours.

  • Because the training is fast-paced and cumulative, it's important that you attend all training days. If you unexpectedly need to miss a day, contact us and we will work with you to make up a missed session.

  • Because FAN focuses on attunement, on truly seeing and understanding another's experience, it supports home-visiting professionals in deepening partnerships. FAN presumes caregivers are capable and know what’s best for their child and family, and that providers are capable and know what's best for their clients. FAN gives you language for things you are already doing, allowing you to use your skills more intentionally. It also offers new skills that enhance the work you are doing. For supervisors, FAN provides a framework to move towards a more reflective stance in supervision.

    After implementing FAN, home visitors are more reflective and collaborative and experience less burnout. Supervisors are more self-aware and provide supervision which is more reflective.

  • There are several sponsorship opportunities which may cover your training fees. If you don't qualify, Cooper House offers a sliding scale.

  • The FAN model is useful and adaptable to many people. It was originally designed to support home visitors working with families. We have adapted it to work well with many direct service professionals working with families. Some examples include: 

    • home visitors

    • nurse home visitors

    • early intervention professionals

    • early childhood educators

    • infant mental health therapists

    • supervisors of direct service professionals working with families

    If you're not sure if FAN is right for you, contact us or attend a free info session.

  • Practitioner FAN is for teams of providers who support caregivers of young children. It is geared towards direct service providers and their supervisors.

    Supervisor FAN focuses on strengthening the supervisor-supervisee relationship, resulting in supervisors and supervisees who are more reflective and collaborative, as well as supervisors who are more engaged and less stressed.

  • Yes! Contact Lisa Foss for more info.

  • FAN was developed by Dr. Linda Gilkerson at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, a graduate school in child development. It is the approach to family engagement and reflective practice that was first developed at Erikson's Fussy Baby program for working with fussy babies and families.

  • Yes! The knowledge and skill areas covered by FAN are indicated below. Please note that the training alone may not be enough to fully meet a particular knowledge or skill area. IMH-E® Endorsement applicants may need to include coursework and/or additional in-service training to fully meet a knowledge or skill area.

    Theoretical Foundations:

    • relationship-based, therapeutic practice

    • family relationships & dynamics

    • cultural competence

    Law, Regulation, & Policy:

    • ethical practice

    Direct Service Skills:

    • observation & listening

    • responding with empathy

    • developmental guidance

    • life skills

    • safety

    Working With Others:

    • building & maintaining relationships

    • supporting others

    • mentoring

    • collaborating

    • resolving conflict

    • empathy & compassion

    Communicating:

    • listening

    • speaking

    • group process

    Thinking:

    • analyzing information

    • solving problems

    • exercising sound judgment

    • maintaining perspective

    Reflecting:

    • contemplation

    • self-awareness

    • curiosity

    • professional/personal development

    • emotional response

    • parallel process

  • You may be able to earn CEUs. We can provide documentation for you to submit to your accreditation agency. Please email FAN@cooperhouse.org for more information.

FAQs