Too often, hostile arguments about obedience and day-to-day problems dominate and derail our family therapy sessions. Therapists know that relational hurt, disappointment, shame, and trauma often underlie and fuel these deleterious conversations. Shifting these arguments to focus on the underlying attachment ruptures can be challenging. How can therapists change the conversation from behaviors to trust?  How do we shift the emotional tone from anger to longing and love?  How do we work through these relationships ruptures so trust can be re-established? Without trust, problem-solving fails. Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT; Diamond, Diamond & Levy, 2014) is an empirically supported treatment that aims to accomplish these goals. ABFT provides a roadmap to help guide this process-oriented, trauma-informed therapeutic process.

 

The model unfolds through five treatment tasks: relational reframing, alliance building with the adolescent, alliance building with the parent(s), attachment repairing, and promoting autonomy. Each task has a clinical map and goals, with clear outcomes. Even though ABFT provides structure and directionality, the success of the treatment rests on the therapist’s capacity for alliance building, emotional deepening, and tolerance for conflict. In this workshop, Drs. Diamond and Levy will use lectures, participant exercises, video and discussion to provide an overview of the theoretical principles and clinical strategies of ABFT.