Full Course Description

Session 1 | Navigating Modern Attachment: A Clinical Framework for Contemporary Practitioner

Join Dr. Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott in this session that will unlock the secrets of relationships by distilling seven decades of attachment research and weaving in cutting-edge insights from relational neuroscience.

In this session, you’ll learn:

How to apply a modern attachment framework designed to navigate the complexities of attachment dynamics.
Improve clinical communication about attachment and neuroscience with their clients.
Effectively assist clients in applying knowledge of secure relating to increase their capacity to engage in their most grounded, wise sense of self.

Program Information

Objectives

Use the MARS framework to enhance conceptual understanding of attachment-related defensive patterns.
Improve clinical communication about attachment and neuroscience with their clients.
Effectively assist clients in applying knowledge of secure relating to increase their capacity to engage in their most grounded, wise sense of self.

Outline

Defining Modern Attachment:

Explore the concept of Modern Attachment and its significance.

BAMA Elements:

Break down the four essential elements of Modern Attachment: BAMA.

Infant vs. Adult Attachment Research:

Highlight key differences that are crucial in understanding Modern Attachment.

Intersection of Culture and Context:

Examine how culture and context intersect with the dynamics of attachment.

Secure Relating vs. Secure Attachment:

Differentiate between secure relating and secure attachment in the relational context.

From Research to Practice:

Bridge the gap between attachment research categories and their practical application in clinical settings.

Relating from Integration:

Explore the requisites for relating from our most integrated selves in the present moment.

Modern Attachment Regulation Spectrum (MARS):

Introduce the MARS framework, breaking down its spectrum, maps, and addressing information processing distortions akin to 'sunglasses.'

Co-regulation and Co-dysregulation:

Discuss the dynamics of co-regulation and co-dysregulation within the context of Modern Attachment.

Clinical Application of MARS:

Explore how to use the Modern Attachment Regulation Spectrum in clinical settings.

Contextual Exploration and Narrative Change:

Provide insights into leveraging MARS as a tool for contextually-driven historical exploration and narrative change.

Internalized Shame Activation:

Examine internalized shame as a component of the activated state within the Modern Attachment framework.

Target Audience

Case Managers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Child and Adolescent Therapists
School Administrators
Physicians

Copyright : 15/03/2024

Session 2 | Relationship (Re)Programming: Understanding & Addressing the Role of Attachment Styles on Romantic Relationships

Relationship (Re)Programming: Understanding & Addressing the Role of Attachment Styles on Romantic Relationships, takes a different approach to couples counseling, as it aims to assist our clients in truly understanding what is underlying the dysfunction in their relationships and equips them with the awareness, healing, and skills to make lasting relational changes.

Traditional couples counseling has historically placed a large emphasis on treating the symptoms of relational dysfunction, such as conflict and communication, versus addressing the root cause of these issues. Unfortunately, this often leads to a band-aid approach to couples counseling, which can be very disheartening for both the client and the clinician, due to the same relational issues ultimately resurfacing over time.

As a result of this training, you will be able to effectively guide your couples clients through the process of identifying their current attachment styles and how they were formed. You will also be equipped with the knowledge and skills to assist them in understanding the events that trigger their attachment wounds present-day, as well as how their attachment triggers are keeping them stuck in a cycle of disconnection. With this approach, you will be able to support your clients in getting to the root of their relational struggles, identify ways to prevent and address these ongoing cycles of relational pain and dysfunction, as well as help them to increase safety, connection, and intimacy in their relationship.

Couples counseling can at times feel very daunting and overwhelming, especially if it feels you are continuing to spin your wheels, and yet are not obtaining sustainable outcomes. By shifting your approach to focusing on the core of relational dysfunction (i.e., attachment wounds), and what we can do about this, it will lead to the relational transformation that both you and your clients so deeply desire.

Program Information

Objectives

Define attachment theory for the purposes of client psychoeducation.
Describe the four attachment classifications and put to practical use in couples’ session.
Utilize attachment theory to improve client outcomes in a couples’ counseling setting.

Outline

Understanding Attachment Theory

Define attachment theory.
Identify the four attachment classifications.
Recognize the factors influencing the formation of attachment styles.
Risks and Limitations

Identifying the Role of Attachment Theory in Couples Counseling

Examine attachment styles in romantic relationships.
Understand adaptive child traits and their impact on adult relationships.
Evaluate the influence of insecure attachment on conflict, communication, and intimacy.

Utilizing Attachment Theory to Assess for Root Causes of Relational Dysfunction

Identify how childhood unmet needs impact adult relationships.
Recognize the activation of insecure attachment styles in romantic relationships.
Understand the attraction to familiar attachment styles and the resulting cycle of disconnection.
Provide tools for clients to assess attachment styles, core beliefs, and survival behaviors.

Application of Attachment Theory for Practical Use in Couples Sessions

Acknowledge the contextual variability of attachment styles.
Understand the concept of "corrective experiences."
Assist couples in identifying attachment triggers and their impact on the relationship.
Provide tools for effective management of attachment triggers and support for partners.
Offer tangible strategies for achieving "earned secure" attachment styles and enhancing emotional regulation skills rooted in DBT & CBT.

Target Audience

Case Managers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Child and Adolescent Therapists
School Administrators

Copyright : 15/03/2024

Session 3 | Attachment Science: The Holy Grail for Psychotherapy Practice

This presentation will focus on the principles of attachment – the most comprehensive and empirically based developmental, relational approach to personality growth and development ever created. Attachment science tells us who we are - our deepest longings and fears, and how we grow into emotional balance and resilience or become stuck in cycles of depression, anxiety and trauma responses. It provides a map for the therapist so that accurate attunement to each client’s inner and relational world is facilitated and a secure connection with self and with key others is made possible. Emotionally Focused Therapy uses this map to consistently and precisely shape core change events that significantly change the core patterns that make up the clients inner and relational world.

Program Information

Outline

Understanding Attachment Principles

Significance in personality development
Focus on Attachment Science and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Applying Attachment Science in Therapy

Utilizing attachment as a map for accurate attunement
Shaping core change events in EFT for transformation

Practical Tools for Therapists

Providing therapists with effective attachment-based tools
Illustrating practical applications through case studies and examples

Objectives

Demonstrate understanding of key principles of Attachment Theory.
Utilize Attachment Theory to inform therapy sessions.
Create treatment plans that integrate the key EFT interventions.

Target Audience

Case Managers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Child and Adolescent Therapists
School Administrators
Physicians

Copyright : 15/03/2024

Session 4 | The Adult Attachment Interview: Clinical Applications to Accelerate Therapy Progress

Have you ever found yourself puzzled by a motivated client's lack of progress? Wondering how to address the unconscious barriers hindering change for both client and therapist?

The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is the answer. Tap into a person's unconscious in ways that other assessments or clinical interventions can't match. Here's why it's a game-changer:

Unparalleled Insight: Explore hidden dimensions of a person's psyche, revealing critical aspects of their narrative.
Illuminate the Unresolved: Shed light on important, unresolved elements of a person's history that lurk in the shadows.
Transformation and Acceleration: Allow a previously untold story to emerge, deepening the therapeutic alliance and transforming the therapy process.
Holistic Approach: Go beyond traditional assessments, addressing the unknown factors that impede progress.

Embrace the Adult Attachment Interview to elevate your counseling practice, deepen connections, and accelerate transformative change for your clients.

Program Information

Objectives

Administer the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) Protocol to improve clinical outcomes.
Describe and name the four major categories of AAI findings and their implications for refining clinical interventions.
Apply data from the AAT to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Outline

Correctly Administer the Adult Attachment Interview

Time required to give the interview
Avoiding violations of the interview protocol
Using appropriate interview probes
Risks and limitations

Uncover Key Narratives in the Adult Attachment Interview

Appraise the interview linguistically
Distinguish Grice’s maxims during the interview
Ascertain the possibility of unresolved loss and trauma in the interview

Accelerate Therapy with Adult Attachment Interview Data

Formulate and revise treatment plan goals as appropriate following the interview
Select aspects of the interview narrative to utilize in therapy sessions
Analyze possible incoherence in the interview

Target Audience

Case Managers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Child and Adolescent Therapists
School Administrators

Copyright : 15/03/2024

Session 5 | Securely Attached: Helping Families Develop Secure Connection and Co-Regulation

Join Eli Harwood, MA LPC, aka "The Attachment Nerd" in a family therapy focused workshop designed to help clinicians deepen competency around practical attachment assessments and interventions in family therapy. Eli will use humor, creativity, and her in depth knowledge of the attachment research to help shed light on the path towards helping our clients learn how to be securely attached to each other.

Program Information

Objectives

Articulate the key components and manifestations of various attachment patterns.
Assess for Attachment Patterns in Family Therapy.
Apply attachment-focused therapy techniques to foster understanding and application of secure patterns.

Outline

Translate Attachment Theory into Interventions

Understandable Application
Simplify attachment theory concepts for practical family interventions.
Ensure interventions are accessible and relatable for families.
Risks and Limitations

Deeper Understanding of Insecure Patterns

Family Dynamics
Explore manifestations of insecure attachment in parent-child interactions.
Identify how insecure patterns impact broader family relationships.

Correlate Therapy Goals for Secure Patterns

Assessment Alignment
Utilize attachment assessment tools to set therapy goals.
Establish specific objectives to promote secure patterns within families.

Explore Creative Approaches for Relational Security

Implement creative approaches based in attachment science

Solidify Confidence in Attachment-Focused Therapy

Reflective Practice
Enhance confidence through self-reflection on attachment-focused interventions.
Seek supervision and support for continuous improvement.

Conclusion: Thriving Through Attachment-Focused Therapy

Summary
Recap key aspects of applying attachment theory in family interventions.
Emphasize the role of attachment-focused therapy in fostering family well-being.

Target Audience

Case Managers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Child and Adolescent Therapists
School Administrators

Copyright : 15/03/2024

Session 6 | Neurobiology of Attachment

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel helped transform the field of psychotherapy with his pioneering work in Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB). During this keynote address, he will provide an overview of how the latest scientific research on attachment has revealed new methods to improve your clients’ well-being.

Dr. Siegel will illustrate a foundational way to view attachment and how we collectively live in this world together- that we are an individual self (me) linked and interconnected to everyone and everything else (we)- to show the possibility for deeper healing, meaning, and connections for your clinical work and beyond.

You will walk away from this keynote address with a better understanding of the impact attachment plays on shaping your clients' lives. In addition, you will be equipped with tools to help your clients make sense of their life story and heal attachment wounds to at last find a feeling of relief and able to identify who they are meant to be.

Don't miss this opportunity to add Dan Siegel's masterful insight to your work and improve outcomes!

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze how relationships are shaped by early attachment histories to better understand your clients. 
Evaluate how each form of attachment influences the capacity for future closeness and impact on relationships in clients. 
Justify how “sense of self” does not have to be limited to the body so clients can have healthy relationships.

Outline

Attachment Research Made Simple

Brain-to-brain and mind-to-mind connections
Child and adult attachment research 
How attachment relationships shape the brain
Neural integration and self-regulation
Interpersonal communication and interneuronal linkages
The categories of attachment

Understanding Attachment and Relationships

Navigate relationships and how they influence the brain and vice versa 
The importance of a “soul friend” and “feeling felt” 
How mirror neurons influence relationships
Neural correlates of interpersonal attunement and resonance

The Essential Pathways Toward Trust, Truth and Transformation

Illuminating the pathways of change
Connections between the mind, the embodied brain and relationships
Transformation to create neural integration
Differentiate between empathy, compassion, kindness and joy
The power of MWe

Target Audience

Counselors
Occupational Therapists
Social Workers
Psychologists
Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Marriage and Family Therapists
Psychiatrists
Other Professionals Who Work within the Mental Health Fields

Trauma is Broken Connection: Healing Strategies for Attachment Injury and Relational Trauma

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the primary traits that exist in secure attachment relationships.
Demonstrate and practice at least 2 skills that assist clients in creating secure attachment bonds in relationships.
Demonstrate and practice 2 corrective experience interventions for Insecure Attachment that foster Secure Attachment.

Outline

SE and Attachment Work are a Match made in Heaven
Presencing the "Empathetic Other"; Healing Relational Trauma in Relationship
Learning Secure Attachment Skills that Deepen Intimacy and Restore Social Engagement
Avoidant Attachment: Surfacing from the Bubble of Isolation and Dismissiveness toward Connection and Nourishment in Relationships
Ambivalent Attachment: Shifting Complaining, Fear of Abandonment and Chronic Hopelessness to an Empowered Sense of Self, Noticing Caring Behaviors, Ability to Receive, and Enhancing Embodied Satisfaction
Disorganized Attachment: Shifting the experience that "Relationships are Dangerous" to Restoring Safety, Reducing Volatility and Emphasizing Self/Co-Regulation
The Healing Attachment Injury Work is Experiential; Designing Contradictory Corrective Connection experiences for Core Wounds
How Our Original Relational Template formed in Early Childhood Impacts Adult Relationships

Target Audience

Counsellors
Social Workers
Therapists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Case Managers
Other Mental Health Professionals

Key Tasks of Trauma Recovery: The Use of Attachment Science in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) to Foster Mastery, Cohesion, and Resilience

Difficulty with painful emotions is at the heart of posttraumatic problems, and without attending to your clients’ intense feelings of fear, disgust, anger, and helplessness, you can’t heal their heartbreak. In this session, Dr. Leanne Campbell will show you an emotionally-focused therapy model that offers you a simple, proven 5-step attachment-informed process to create predictable, repeatable, and lasting transformation for your clients.

Program Information

Objectives

Identify the key components and goals of the EFIT model.
Identify emotional handles for the purpose of planning interventions.
Adapt attachment science to the psychotherapy setting.

Outline

Essential nature of the EFIT model
Goals of EFIT
5 tasks of recovering from trauma
How to listen for “emotional handles”
Restructuring no-solution vulnerability
Ten ways EFIT brings attachment science into every session
Case study
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other mental health professionals

Resilience through Attachment: Navigating Trauma and Addictions from Childhood: Navigating Trauma and Addictions from Childhood

Daniel Siegel spoke of the human dilemma of not being the “fittest” but learning how to “fit.” In this workshop, we explore the critical connection between early childhood trauma, addiction patterns, and the influence of personality-disordered parents. Discover how to integrate authoritative and secure attachment techniques into therapeutic relationships, fostering safety and regulation in complex and traumatized clients. Join us in understanding the vital principles required for this transformational process.

Program Information

Objectives

Examine the foundations of healthy attachment and effective parenting styles, including the impact of personality-disordered parents on early childhood development.
Analyze various parenting styles in the context of therapeutic interventions, considering their significance in addressing trauma and addiction patterns.
Develop trauma-sensitive techniques with neurobiologically-grounded principles to enhance the experience of felt safety in complex and traumatized clients.

Outline

Overview

Briefly introduce the topic of resilience through attachment.
Highlight the importance of addressing trauma and addictions.
Mention the relevance of narcissism and alcoholism in this context.

Understanding Resilience

Define resilience and its significance in mental health.
Discuss the role of attachment in fostering resilience.
Share research findings on resilience factors.

Trauma and its Impact

Explain what trauma is and its various forms.
Discuss how trauma can disrupt attachment.
Present case studies or real-life examples.

Addictions and Attachment

Explore the relationship between addictions and attachment.
Discuss the emotional needs that addictions may fulfill.
Address the challenges of breaking free from addictive behaviors.

Resilience Strategies

Provide practical strategies for building resilience.
Emphasize the role of healthy attachments in the recovery process.
Offer tips for individuals struggling with trauma and addiction.

Narcissism and Alcoholism

Dive into the connections between narcissism, alcoholism, and attachment.
Explain how these factors can influence one another.
Share relevant studies or case examples.

Target Audience

Addiction Counsellor
Counsellor
Marriage and Family Therapists
Physicians
Psychologists
Social Workers