Upskill your practice with the Possums' evidence-based approach

We're delighted that you're interested in Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC), also known as The Possums Programs. If you're a health professional working with parents and their babies/toddlers, you'll find our content highly relevant to your work.

On this page, we will

Provide you with a free video resource about breastfeeding that we hope might find useful as you work with families.
Provide you with more information about the courses most relevant for registered health professionals.
Showcase two testimonials from doctors who have upskilled with Possums.

Please remember: if you have any questions at any time, don't hesitate to contact our Education Manager, Cathryn Proberts, at education@ndcinstitute.com.au

Cath is also available to set up phone calls should you prefer to speak with her directly.

FREE NDC RESOURCE: New breastfeeding research that could help you and your patients right now

Did you know that there is widespread misonception about how babies breastfeed and draw milk into their mouths? MRI and ultrasound studies show that baby's lips don't need to flange, and baby's tongue doesn't actually move a great deal during suckling, since it just drops down and rises up en bloc in tandem with the jaw. The jaw drop creates a vacuum to draw in milk, and the tongue isn't the main driver of milk transfer, which you may have heard. This research challenges long held assumptions about tongue-tie and latching issues.

Watch this short video to learn more:

At Possums, we teach not just comprehensive help for the whole range of breastfeeding problems, but also the gestalt method of fit & hold, which we find particularly clinically effective for good milk transfer and nipple pain. The gestalt method has been demonstrated to make measurable changes inside baby's mouth.

Where to start with Possums: The NDC Masterclasses

If you’re interested in upskilling with Possums at The NDC Institute, you'd begin with the two NDC Masterclass courses. They are evidence-based, immediately applicable in clinical settings, and grounded in Dr Pamela Douglas’ 30+ peer-reviewed papers and 40 years of clinical experience. They set the foundation and serve as the pre-requisites to NDC Accreditation.

The Masterclasses are presented and taught by Dr Pamela Douglas herself, and offer practical tools to support infant sleep, breastfeeding, and parental mental health, while reducing unnecessary diagnoses and treatments.

Unsettled Infant & Parent Mental Health

Up to 38% of families report sleep problems, and 20% report cry-fuss concerns. These are major, modifiable risk factors for postnatal mental health. You'll learn to:

Apply the groundbreaking Possums Baby & Toddler Sleep Intervention
Use the NDC 5-domain cry-fuss framework
Deliver ACT and Self-Compassion Therapy strategies
Ground care in cutting-edge research

Clinical Breastfeeding Support

Despite strong intentions, only 39% of mothers exclusively breastfeed by three months. These Masterclasses help you:

Understand infant suck-swallow biomechanics
Resolve fit and hold challenges
Address nipple pain, breast inflammation, and milk supply issues
Identify overlooked problems
Avoid ineffective treatments
Interpret the research

All NDC Masterclass courses are CPD recognised activities with the RACGP, ACM, ACRRM. The Clinical Breastfeeding Support Masterclasses are also CPD recognised activities with the ACN.

Membership to The NDC Institute also grants free access to all of our guest speaker events.

Hear about Possums from two NDC Accredited doctors

We're grateful to Dr Kavita Thanakrishna and Dr Gemma Ossolinski for their kind words.

We're also happy to remind you that all (10) university-led research about the effects of the NDC/Possums approach show positive outcomes.

Next steps

Pricing & more (all prices include GST)

Individual Masterclasses: $350 AUD each
- Unsettled Infant & Parent Mental Health [learn more / sign up now]
- Clinical Breastfeeding Support [learn more / sign up now]
NDC Masterclass Bundle (both courses): $600 AUD (Save $100 – 15%)
NDC Accreditation & Masterclass Bundle: $1200 AUD (Save $350 – 22%)

Reminder: should you have any questions at any time, please don't hesitate to contact our Education Manager, Cathryn Proberts, at education@ndcinstitute.com.au - Cath would be delighted to answer any queries you might have.

We hope to welcome you to The NDC Institute and to our movement for change in early life care.