MPA April Seminar (1)
Use of Attachment – Based Family Therapy for adolescents struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts
Registration COST:
- $25 MEMBERS
- $40 NON-MEMBERS
NOTE: Registration closes Monday, APRIL 24!
Suicides jumped 29% among adolescents ages 15-to-19 over the previous decade. In addition to those who die by suicide, there are many more adolescents who have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide and survive. Youth suicidal ideation, attempt and completion are on the rise. One survey showed that 18.8% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide and 8.9% actually attempted suicide.
Attachment-based family therapy, a well researched, trust-based, emotion focused psychotherapy designed to improve family and individual processes associated with adolescent suicide and depression, has been found to be an effective tool in protecting our adolescents from threats to themselves. Learn about this from one of its primary developers.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the theoretical foundation of ABFT that guides therapists in therapy implementation.
2. Discuss the purpose of the five treatment tasks.
3. Design therapy to focus on interpersonal growth rather than behavioral control.
Our Speaker
Along with his co-authors, Drs. Gary Diamond and Suzanne Levy, Dr. Diamond has written the first book on ABFT “Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Depressed Adolescents,” published by the American Psychological Association. ABFT emerges from interpersonal theories that suggest adolescent depression and suicide can be precipitated, exacerbated, or buffered against by the quality of interpersonal relationships in families. ABFT aims to repair interpersonal ruptures and rebuild an emotionally protective, secure-based, parent child relationship. The treatment initially focuses on repairing or strengthening attachment and then turns to promoting adolescent autonomy.