Level 1: Certificate in Relationship Health Practice
Solid Foundations: Learn I Matter Framework
Do you want to feel more confident in your roles in supporting children and other adults at home or at work?
This 12-week online program gives you the tools and inspiration you need, to become the helping professional, coach, parent or adult you want to be.
Do you want to be well-equipped for supporting more relationship health in your home or work roles?
Professionals and parents and young people who've taken this course say that the understanding they have gained and they tools they have learned have transformed their confidence in home and work roles. No matter where you are on your relationship health learning journey, training in the I Matter Framework will equip you with clarity you need to make a the difference.
This course does not replace other great training that is available, the intention is to help you join up the dots between ideas you probably already know quite a lot about. Our focus is ensuring you can be as clear as possible about the basics as you make important decisions.
Please join us for the
Spring 2023
Level 1 Certificate
Learn the I Matter Framework
Solid Foundations for Relationship Health Practice
Online Course
Make 2023 the year
to make a difference in child and adult wellbeing at home and at work
MAKE AN ENQUIRY NOW
About the I Matter Learning Journey
Relationship Health concerns vital long term issues!
When relationship health is present, we know it. It feels good
When it is not present, we also know it. It doesn't feel good
Relationship health and ill-health impacts every single aspect of life.
However we rarely if ever get any training in the skills involved.
The truth is there is a lot involved.
Thankfully, it's never too late to make a difference.
However good preparation can really help avoid common challenges
And good foundations can help turn challenging situations around.
The I Matter Learning Journey aims to equip you with solid foundations: We work in phases:
+ Discover I Matter (First Course and Fundamentals)
+ Learn I Matter: Learn the Framework (Level 1)
+ Living I Matter: Deepen and Extend (Level 2-3)
+ Offer I Matter: Helping Us Help Others (Level 4-6)
Each person's learning journey is unique with always more to learn
What is a Linked Parent-Carer? Professionals and parents-carers complete the same I Matter study programme but parents-carers and young people can only access the programme via an I Matter certified practitioner and a host community hub and member school. If you are a parent-carer in an area without a hub please get talking to your local professionals! We train practitioners to support the programme in their own communities. A hub can get started with an application from a cluster of professionals from primary care health and education in a community.
So... this training and skills building is for professionals and determined parents-carers who would like:
- less confusion and more clarity about how to proactively help children and other adults
- confidence to work well with others using robust ideas with a strong evidence base
- confidence to know clearly what the priorities are and how to track progress over time
- confidence that YOU have a really key role to play in your work or home setting
....so that key relationships could feel easier and so that you, and others in your home and community, can thrive whatever the challenges happen to be
You have the power to make a difference in your work or home setting by developing your understanding and skills!
If you are concerned about your community, or our planet or about a child or adult who is struggling.
If you know of a child or adult finding relationships difficult
Or demonstrating challenging behaviour
Or struggling with mental health challenges
Your insight and understanding matters
In a Relationship Health Approach to helping children or other adults we work using the power of your own role
We start with you!
You learn the I Matter Framework
You start to read what is happening more accurately
You start to figure out your own next key steps
We encourage you to stick with your own learning process long enough to bring about results
The next Programme Starts Shortly
LET US KNOW YOUR INTEREST
More About the I Matter Learning Journey
The I Matter Learning Journey is an online programme and learning community which helps leaders, professionals and parents/carers to understand difficult relationships with young people or adults and take steps to bring about positive change through their own role.
Typically, these difficult relationships manifest as:
- Challenging behaviour including angry, defiance and unco-operative patterns
- Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and self-harm
- Unhelpful stuck patterns in relationships whether adult-child, adult-adult or self-self e.g difficult patterns observed in young children that are still not addressed years later
As a senior leader, professional or parent/carer it can be incredibly challenging to know how to best support some young people or adults and how to have a healthy and supportive relationship with them. Some children or adults with challenges have formally diagnosed conditions but many do not. It can nonetheless be difficult to understand why quite so many children are struggling these days.
For example, in school or in community roles, it can be shocking to be drawn into incidents with children and young people who seem out of control and potentially a risk not just to themselves but also to others in your care, whilst feeling your training didn’t prepare you for the situations you are in. Being faced with disengaged or angry, escalated parents-carers who are sometimes blaming you can at times be even more difficult than the work with young people. It can be very discouraging to see situations around you getting worse. But where should you start?
At home, as a parent or carer or young person, it can also be extremely challenging to see a child or adult struggling with their emotions and lashing out or withdrawing, whilst you are feeling ill-equipped to support them and are feeling so isolated and misunderstood yourself. Of course, you really want to help your child but you may feel you have been asking for help for so long. You do worry your efforts are sometimes making things worse, but you know you can’t do this on your own. It’s just you didn’t know parenting was going to be so difficult and you often simply do not know how best to respond.
So, for professionals or a parents a common experience can be one of feeling that you are failing the young people or adults in your care who are clearly needing help. The experience can be one of failing at the role of being the adult in the situation. Failing at the challenge of finding the way forward
The main intended outcome of the I Matter Learning Journey is to give you a clear roadmap to improved relationship health with children and young people or adults both typical and more complex, through helping you focus on the foundations of relationship health. The programme, developed by Dr Cathy Betoin, a highly experienced clinical psychologist, teacher and parent herself. draws together decades of research evidence on what helps children and adults to thrive into a practical easy to understand set of ideas. These help you strengthen your understanding of the links between stress and wellbeing, child development, brain development and the adult role including the power of beliefs and attitudes.
An understanding of the I Matter Framework can then support you in:
· Strengthening of relationships with a young person/s when there are mild-moderate challenges
· Recovery of relationship health with young people when there are escalated or complex challenges
· Preparation for relationship health in a role in parenting or caring for children
· Continuing Professional Development helping you take forward the overlooked issue of relationship health in your roles so you can better support the young people in your care and work more effectively with parents
All I Matter training in the UK is overseen by Cathy Betoin. We are currently focussed on building a network of practitioners. No other training or accreditation in the I Matter Framework is approved or recognised by I Matter Training Ltd.
How exactly does the I Matter Programme work?
- We work with community hubs and member schools as our goal is to create a well-informed community of adult professionals and parents around children and young people who are struggling. We start with GP’s and school leadership who want to work together to help parents and young people in their own locality
- Then, whether you are a senior leader or a professional or a parent, you’ll study the I Matter Framework through video lessons designed to help you better understand and then implement positive changes to your relationships with young people in your care.
- You will also have the option to join small group explorations with others in similar contexts to yours, as well as opportunities for personalised consultations, subject to the availability of practitioners, to help you address specific issues
- Where possible, we aim to connect you to a local community hub that is joining up professionals in health and education and community roles.
- The I Matter Programme does not offer any quick fixes. Putting I Matter principles into practice is a life-long learning process with every individual journey unique. What you should remember is that if you ever have the feeling that ‘it is not working’ then there is simply more for you to still learn. This is why we refer to the theory to practice stage as an I Matter Challenge.
- An I Matter Learning Journey is not about changing others. It is about creating the conditions that support relationship health for children and for yourself and others in work and home roles. In this process, you are a key agent in bringing about the changes you want to see.
To join I Matter Programme you need to be:
- Committed to working with others in your own community and able to access local support
- Willing to commit to study, including online study (one step at a time)
- Motivated to learn more about yourself and your own relationships and ready to make some personal changes to help children and other adults in your settings
- Available to access and engage with I Matter discussion groups
- Interested in developing the skills that support healthier and happier relationships
The initial steps to join the I Matter Learning Journey and progress an I Matter Challenge include
- Completion of an initial short online expression of interest form and initial discussion
- Completion of an in-depth online assessment questionnaire and consult on priority goals
- Registration for an online account for Preparation and Level 1
- Participation in small group online discussion of I Matter Principles and theory to practice:
- Encouragement to keep working on your own I Matter Challenge and skills.
Step by Step: The programme encourages you to aim for one happier and healthier relationship at a time and can provide a positive complement to other learning. We love to celebrate results!
After Level 1 training, some people stop or pause, others progress to further learning with varied levels of support including options for personalised small group and 1:1 coaching with our growing network of I Matter Informed and Certified practitioners.
We encourage you to stay involved so as to have the benefits of staying checked in to the I Matter Framework and Relationship Health conversations and ideas that will help you to continue finding the way forward. We would love you to join us!
Overview of Steps of the I Matter Learning Journey
The I Matter Learning Journey can support professional development and personal development.
The core online Level 1 programme involves a registration step and a commitment to online study.
From time to time we offer the First Course as a taster in partnership with member organisations and certified practitioners

Discover I Matter
Explore Relationship Health
Engage Level
Taught First Steps
Fundamentals workshops
Discussion Led by Local Leads.
More information

Learn the I Matter Framework
Prepare for Relationship Health
LEVEL 1 CORE
Online study
Progress Milestones
Community discussion
More Information

Offer I Matter Study Support
Train to Help Others
Levels 4 - 6
Learn to facilitate
Structured Steps
Supported Progression.
More Information
Feedback from professionals and non-professionals about I Matter Training
Over the last 10 years, professionals, and non-professionals in a wide variety of situations have taken part in our CPD accredited I Matter training programme. Here is the sort of thing they say...
- “I Matter Training completely changed the way I feel about my role at work
- “I Matter Training gave me the confidence that I can help my child and have a better relationship with him. Even my relationship with my partner has improved!
- “I Matter Training gave me tools that I wish I had been given so many years previously
- "The I Matter Framework and Training has been adopted by our Integrated Care Community to support our local strategy for work with children and families"
Now we are moving into a new phase of building a bigger team and sharing thinking more widely.. so if you are in our local area, and have a child with some challenges, and are determined and want help to turn things around then we might be able to help...
LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING VIDEO TO UNDERSTAND THE OUTLINE OF I MATTER TRAINING
FOR MORE ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS CLICK HERE
What do you get in the I Matter First Course or Fundamentals
The I Matter First Course offers a very introductory level of discussion.
It includes some background discussion
a Getting Started workshop and a 14 day Essentials of Attachment email course.
This content is also included in the I Matter Level 1 programme.
The First Course is our schools Engage Level Programme
Usually offered to parents-carers at school entry eg Reception, Year 7
The I Matter Fundamentals offers an intensive fast paced introduction
It introduces the ideas quickly and is intended to provide an orientation
The intention is to get a thinking process started.
The Fundamentals is our Clinic Engage Level Programme
Or our Senior Leads Engage Level Programme
It can be offered as part of a planned engagement process.
What You will Get in the Level 1 Programme:
The Level 1 online Programme involves more commitment to the learning process and to reflections
Over the course of the initial 12 weeks, you’ll learn about the I Matter Framework, with taught videos, reflective questions, and activities to try out. Everything is self-paced, so you can progress as works for you. The course includes:
Two Options to Study Level 1: Learn I Matter
The level 1 online course can be progressed as self-paced online learning with an initial workshop or it can be supported by small group taught sessions and discussion
The self-paced online programme is for general education purposes only for both professional CPD and for parents-carers. However we strongly recommend participation in supported small group learning for anyone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts. If there is any significant escalation it is also vital to access informed personalised support in your own community and this course would not be suitable without it.
The small group study supported training is offered in two phases: In the first four weeks you will be introduced to the I Matter Framework Fundamentals at a fast pace. In the second part you will have opportunities to discuss your learning within the group
Week 1-4: I Matter Framework Fundamentals 4 weeks
Week 5-12: 4 x fortnightly Consolidation discussion
Option for Gateway Knowledge Assessment
What you will learn in Level 1: Learn I Matter
WELCOME WORKSHOP
LIVE INTERACTIVE GETTING STARTED
CONTENT OF LEVEL 1 ONLINE ACCOUNT
Module 1: Preparation
The need for Relationship health Practice
in home, education, health and community
Module 2: Getting Started
Introducing the I Matter Model
Organising what you already know a lot about
Module 3: Essential Ideas
How do we make sense of everyday observations?
Your role in high challenge situations
Module 4: Attachment Relationships
What exactly is meant by attachment?
What does it look like across the developmental process?
Module 5: Alarm and the Brain
What exactly is happening in everyday challenging incidents?
Discover a simple model for dynamic relationship process
Module 6: How Children start Thinking
How do everyday moments shape brain development?
Why is the adult role so key?
Module 7: The Power of our Beliefs and attitudes
Are experiences just happening to us?
How do we take more control of outcomes?
Module 8: Communication
How does communication impact outcomes?
What are the vital skills?
ADDITIONAL STUDY SUPPORT OPTIONS:
JOIN A SMALL FACILITATED GROUP
WITH TAUGHT FUNDAMENTALS FOR 4 WEEKS
4 SESSIONS CONSOLIDATION
WORK 1:1 WITH CERTIFIED PRACTITIONER
After Level 1?
Options to Apply to Living I Matter
Level 2: Living I Matter: Theory to Practice
Exploring the power of I Matter Informed Formulation
Everyday needs and complex issues
Level 3: Extended Practice.
What people say about joining the online Level 1
+ I know a lot of this but it is so easy to forget in the moment
+ Taking part is part of my own self-care routine
+ I get to interact with others and learn from them
+ It feels good to be able to help others too
+ I think I will be fine and then things deteriorate and I know what is missing
+ I Matter is like my bowling alley - I can go off course but it catches me from going too far
INCLUDED | CORE ONLINE | WITH SMALL GROUP | CERTIFICATE + |
EXPRESSION INTEREST | Yes | Yes | Yes |
REGISTRATION STEP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
GETTING STARTED WORKSHOP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
8 MODULES - VIDEOS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
UPDATES FOR 6 MONTHS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ACCESSIBLE ANYWHERE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
LEVEL 1 ONLINE CERTIFICATE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
MEMBERSHIP 4 MONTHS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
TAUGHT GROUP 4 WEEKS | Yes | Yes | |
CONSULTATION | Yes | Yes | |
CONSOLIDATION 4 SESSIONS | Yes | Yes | |
FORUM FOR 4 MONTHS | Yes | Yes | |
LEVEL 1 FULL CERTIFICATES |
Yes | Yes | |
|
|||
ADDITIONAL CONSULTATIONS | Yes | ||
APPLY LEVEL 2-3 | Yes | ||
ORG DEV OPTIONS | Yes | ||
APPLY LEVEL 4-6 |
Yes | ||
£290pp via members | £500pp | £500pp plus |
After Level 1 Training:
After Level 1 Training there are opportunities to join the Level 2-3 Living I Matter membership community. This aims to give you ongoing support in putting learning into practice and going for the happier and healthier relationships that you want.
Level 2-3 and Level 4-6 training by application. Click here for more information
Additional Options:
Register for Level 1-3 Complete Package
The Level 1-3 course is required preparation for the supporting others programme Levels 4-6
This is a 16 month programme that combines online study, live Q&A. with options for extra small group learning and 1:1 consults subject to availability. £1750 single payment or £455pcm x 4
Click here for more information


Dr Cathy Betoin is a practising clinical psychologist, an experienced teacher and a parent.
The I Matter Framework emerged gradually over more than 20 years in clinical practice in response to a sense that something important was missing in our approach to helping children and families. Then it became clear the issues involved all relationships.
The I Matter Learning Journey is designed as a training programme that can help professionals and non-professionals develop a shared language across home, school and community. The language of the I Matter Framework helps to bring a huge well-evidenced research literature together into a practical cohesive approach to inform some urgently needed shifts in our decision making and approach.
The next programme starts shortly
LET US KNOW YOUR INTEREST
Training in the I Matter Framework helps adults and young people work together to help themselves and others in their own homes. schools and communities. Here are some of the schools and organisations that have been working with us to build capacity to help parents


Our Mission is Healthier and Happier Homes, Schools, and Communities: One Important Relationship at a Time
Frequently Asked Questions
Who exactly is this course for?
I Matter Relationship Health Training is suitable for professionals or for non-professionals who are ready and open to learn. The training can be very informative in relation to adult-child and adult-adult relationships. The pathway for parents is via community hubs and member schools.
The intention of the I Matter Framework is to help you understand more about what is happening in everyday challenging situations.
Though the ideas can look familiar and fairly simple putting the principles into practice takes a lot of practice, particularly if challenges have been present for a while. The training covers a lot of issues some of which can be experienced as sensitive and so I Matter can offer a challenging learning experience for some.
If there are current challenges, it is therefore important to think through your local support options.
This course is not intended to help you address challenging situations without other support in place.
What is the distinction between the First Course and the I Matter Learning Journey?
There is an important distinction between the First Course and the I Matter Learning Journey.
The First Course is, as it sounds a very basic and introductory level of discussion of the ideas. It is offered via member organisations either by recommendation or supported by an inhouse practitioner.
Those who are interested in more indepth study and a longer more sustained commitment join the I Matter Learning Journey to learn new ideas and to find a community of support with the challenges of putting the ideas into practice in their own settings.
How often does the Level 1 course run?
We open the Level 1 self-paced course to new cohorts of professionals or parent groups by invitation several times a year
What does the course cost?
The Level 1 supported course costs £500pp with discounts for self-paced courses via member schools and services with a Link professionl. It is possible to make multi-purchases at discounted costs.
What can I do with my training?
The Level 1 training is an awareness level course and is intended to support your personal understanding or for CPD only. You are not licensed to use the resources in a professional role with level 1 training only. If you want to use the I Matter Resources in your practice with children or adults then you can apply to join further training. Level 2-3 involves work with children in direct roles and level 4 includes work with parents and professionals who are progressing an I Matter Learning Journey
What is the difference between the self-paced and supported course?
As it sounds, the supported course includes a higher level of personalised consultations.
At present this option is only offered in the Kendal area where we work within a network of I Matter informed professionals.
How can I take part in further training?
To take part in further training requires an application.
We offer further training to professionals with priority given to community hubs to support the building of a shared local language.
We offer further training to parents-carers via I Matter approved professionals or trainees.