What Circle of Security International does

Circle of Security International (COSI) is a Spokane, Washington-based, privately-held for-profit company founded in 2008 that operationalizes the Circle of Security (COS) attachment framework—originally developed by co-originators Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell—into a portfolio of video-based professional development programs. Its flagship offering, the COSP (Circle of Security Parenting) Facilitator Training, prepares mental health providers, family support workers, healthcare professionals, early childhood educators, and parenting facilitators to deliver the manualized, 8–10 week COSP intervention to caregivers. Supporting programs include COS Classroom (attachment-based professional development for early care settings), the COS Intensive Pathway (advanced dyadic assessment training for psychotherapists using the Strange Situation Procedure and Circle of Security Interview), a tiered Growth Learning curriculum built on the Core Sensitivities framework, and 'The Human Condition' 12-week online course. The company sells facilitator manuals and DVDs in 12+ languages, publishes books, and operates a public Facilitator Directory of 1,163+ verified practitioners; all coursework carries IACET-accredited Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and COSP Facilitator Training covers 70% of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health's endorsement requirements.

The company monetizes almost entirely through one-time per-learner course licensing fees, with the COSP Facilitator Training priced at $1,000–$1,200, COS Classroom Foundations at $250, COS Classroom Coach Training at $1,750–$1,950, COS Intensive modules at $700–$1,700, Growth Learning courses at $250–$350, and live workshops at $45 each; supplemental revenue comes from facilitator material sales, books, and optional $370 consultation blocks. Distribution combines direct e-commerce through its Shopify storefront with a global channel of 50,000+ independently operating registered facilitators across 20+ countries, supported by partner organizations in Japan, Norway, Italy, and Romania, formal partnerships with Head Start and NHS programs, and an Equity Seats Program offering 85% discounted training via quarterly lottery for providers in developing economies. Go-to-market relies on content marketing, organic search, social media, AAIMH endorsement alignment, and grassroots facilitator referrals. The business has grown organically since 2008 with no disclosed institutional funding and remains led by its three co-originators.

Name

Circle of Security International

Legal name

Circle of Security International, Inc.

Website

https://circleofsecurityinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Circle of Security International is a Spokane-based training company that certifies mental health providers, early childhood educators, and family support professionals worldwide to deliver its attachment-based COSP, COS Classroom, and COS Intensive intervention programs through 50,000+ registered facilitators across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Certification

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO)

Keywords

• Attachment-based training
• Parenting facilitator certification
• Early childhood mental health
• Professional development courses
• Continuing education units

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Courses: Revenue generated from professional training programs including COSP Facilitator Training (online and in-person), COS Classroom training, COS Intensive Pathway courses, and Growth Learning courses. Training formats include multi-day in-person sessions, 1-week and 2-week online programs, and self-paced online courses with varying durations from 60 to 180 days access.
2. Facilitator Materials Sales: Sales of COSP Facilitator Manuals and DVDs in multiple languages (Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, French, Czech). Physical and digital materials sold through the company's e-commerce platform.
3. Book Sales: Sales of published books including 'Someone to Be With' children's book and 'Raising a Secure Child'. Books are available through the company website and third-party retailers including Amazon, Guilford Press, and Bookbaby.
4. Live Events: Revenue from live online workshop events such as the Reflective Supervision through the lens of the Circle of Security workshop, priced at $45 USD per session with CEU credits available.
5. Consultation Services: Optional two-hour consultation blocks with COS Intensive Supervisors at $370 USD per block for providers who wish to discuss case formulations via videoconference during the Intensive Case Review Course.
6. IACET CEU Credits: Continuing Education Units (CEUs) awarded for course completion, with IACET accreditation providing professional development credits recognized across multiple disciplines. CEUs range from 0.1 to 4.0 units per course.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Circle of Security International develops and delivers training programs that certify professionals to facilitate the Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) program with parents and caregivers, built on the Circle of Security framework—a visual mapping tool derived from attachment theory, neuroscience, and developmental psychology. The company offers multi-tiered training pathways (Foundation, Growth, Specialization), facilitator materials (manuals and DVDs) in 12+ languages, books, live events, and IACET-accredited continuing education units. It monetizes primarily through professional course enrollments and licenses its framework to a global network of 50,000+ registered facilitators who deliver the program to families across 20+ countries.

Product overview

Circle of Security International offers a multi-tiered training and education platform centered on the Circle of Security (COS) framework for understanding attachment relationships. The core product is the COSP Facilitator Training program, which trains professionals to deliver the video-based Circle of Security Parenting program. Supporting products include COS Classroom (attachment-focused professional development for early childhood educators), the COS Intensive Pathway (advanced training for psychotherapists), Growth Learning Courses (advanced facilitation skills), and Live Events (workshops). The company also sells facilitator materials (manuals and DVDs) in 12+ languages, publishes books including the children's book 'Someone to Be With,' and operates a global Facilitator Directory. Additional programs include the Equity Seats Program for financial accessibility. All offerings are accreditation-approved for IACET Continuing Education Units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COSP (Circle of Security Parenting): The flagship program - a video-based, manualized parenting program delivered to groups or individuals to help caregivers understand attachment and connect with their children.
• COS Intensive
• COS Classroom
• COS Classroom Coach
• Core Sensitivities
• The Human Condition

Products and services

• Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) Facilitator Training Flagship training program that prepares professionals to facilitate the Circle of Security Parenting program with parents and caregivers. Available in three formats—in-person (4 days), online 1-week (5 sessions), and online 2-week (5 sessions)—totaling 24 hours of training and 2.4 IACET CEUs. Delivered across four regional time zones globally.
• COS Classroom Relationship-based professional development for early childhood educators that applies attachment theory to classroom settings, focusing on building secure teacher-child relationships through on-demand coursework and the Foundations Course ($250 USD, 1.2 IACET CEUs, 180 days access). Supported by over 25 years of research.
• COS Classroom Coach Training Advanced training for professionals to become endorsed COS Classroom Coaches, using the Practice-Based Coaching model to support educators through observation, reflection, and individualized Action Plans. 5-week hybrid format; 4.0 IACET CEUs, 40 clock hours. Standard $1,950 USD, early bird $1,750 USD.
• COS Intensive Pathway Comprehensive training pathway for psychotherapists consisting of five steps: COSP Training, COS Intensive Assessment Training, Intensive Case Review Course, Intro to Treatment Course, and Case-Based Consultation. Focuses on individualized video-based therapy using the Strange Situation Procedure and Circle of Security Interview for dyadic assessment.
• Growth Learning Courses Advanced courses for registered COSP Facilitators including Theory to Practice: Renew, Refresh, Review ($349 USD), Bigger Stronger Wiser Kind Facilitator ($250 USD), and Shark Music and Core Sensitivities ($350 USD) for deepening facilitation skills. 60-day access; 0.6–1.8 IACET CEUs per course.
• Live Events Series of live online events including workshops and webinars designed to deepen learning and connect participants with experienced trainers on Circle of Security topics. Individual sessions priced at $45 USD with 0.1 IACET CEUs (1 hour), such as Reflective Supervision through the lens of the Circle of Security.
• COSP Facilitator Materials (Manuals and DVDs) Facilitator manuals and DVDs available in 12+ languages including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Romanian, Czech, and Simplified/Traditional Chinese. Sold through the company's e-commerce platform to certified and training facilitators.
• Someone to Be With (Children's Book) Circle of Security children's coloring book that helps young children feel secure during separations from caregivers, designed for parents, educators, and early care settings. Distributed via the company website and third-party retailers including Amazon, Guilford Press, and Bookbaby.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement requirements covered through single COSP Facilitator Training (23 competencies fully met, 12 partially met)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial endorsement partnership where the Alliance has approved COSP Facilitator Training as meeting requirements for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement. An Alliance-approved Tier 4 competency crosswalk document maps 23 fully met competencies and 12 partially met competencies across multiple endorsement levels (IFA, IFS, IMHS, IMHM, ECFA, ECFS, ECMHS, ECMHM, ERS). Facilitators can submit their COSP Certificate of Completion with the co-branded crosswalk to their AIMH Endorsement Coordinator.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Triple P (Positive Parenting Program): Triple P is the largest evidence-based parenting intervention globally, offering tiered training programs (similar Foundation/Growth/Specialization structure) for professionals who deliver parenting support to families. Like COSI, it relies on a worldwide network of accredited practitioners and is sold to government agencies, schools, and healthcare systems — the closest direct competitor to COSP.
• Incredible Years: Incredible Years delivers evidence-based parent, child, and teacher training programs with a global network of certified group leaders and mentors. Its tiered certification pathway, focus on early childhood behavior, and sales to public agencies and schools make it a directly comparable peer to Circle of Security Parenting and COS Classroom.
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT): PCIT is a well-established parent-child attachment and behavior intervention with a structured clinician training and certification pathway. Its professional certification model, CEU offerings, and use by mental health providers and Head Start programs overlap directly with COSP and COS Intensive.
• Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC): ABC is an attachment-based intervention for infants and toddlers with a formal clinician training and certification pathway, developed from attachment theory. It targets many of the same populations as COS Intensive (caregivers with trauma, foster/adoptive families) and is similarly evidence-based and manualized.
• Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP): CPP is an attachment-based dyadic intervention for trauma-exposed young children and their caregivers, with structured training for mental health clinicians. Like COS Intensive, it is used by therapists in NHS-style settings and trains licensed professionals through a multi-step certification pathway.
• Conscious Discipline: Conscious Discipline is a trauma-informed, attachment-based social-emotional learning program for early childhood educators with a tiered certification pathway and a global educator network. It competes most directly with COS Classroom for school district and Head Start professional development budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Zero to Three: Zero to Three is a larger, established organization in infant and early childhood mental health that offers professional training, publications, and policy advocacy. It is a broader incumbent whose DC:0-5 diagnostic framework and endorsements influence the same mental health provider audience COSI targets with its CEU-accredited training.
• Brazelton Touchpoints Center: Brazelton Touchpoints Center trains pediatric and early childhood professionals in relationship-based, developmental approaches to family engagement. It overlaps with COSI in serving pediatricians, nurses, and early care providers and shares the relationship-based training philosophy, though it operates as a broader academic/clinical institution rather than a private training company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/circleofsecurity
• Facebookfacebook.com/Circle-of-Security-International-409781630790
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circle-of-security
• Instagraminstagram.com/circleofsecurity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Circle of Security International