A Family Systems Approach to Strengthening Parent-Child Attachment

3.0 NBCC Credit Hours

Event Time is Central Standard Time Zone

CE Credit will not be awarded to those who are not mental health professionals. Completed evaluation will be required for credit for all participants.

About:

Children showing serious emotional and behavioral challenges often live in families where attachments are fragile and insecure.  This workshop, directed at therapists in both outpatient and community-based settings, presents an ecosystemic framework for helping these children and families using applied attachment theory and family therapy.  We will review the basics of attachment theory and its implications for child development, family functioning and treatment.  Videotape review is used to help participants sharpen their skills in “seeing” the attachment subtext in family interactions, and then bringing attachment related anxiety or pain into the conversation.  Emphasis will be given to pacing and using the language of attachment to shift parents from a behavioral view of their children to a relational one. This language taps into yearnings for a sense of felt safety, a sense of being seen and known (attunement), the experience of felt comfort (soothing), and a sense of being valued (expressed delight).  This workshop introduces and demonstrates facilitated enactments, an experiential treatment method, for supporting increased distress tolerance and sustained emotional connection in parent child interactions.

Workshop Objectives:

As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the nature and functions of attachment within a family context.
2. Recognize the attachment subtext in family interactions.
3. Describe how to use enactments to strengthen the parent child relationship.

Presenter:

C. Wayne Jones, Ph.D.

C. Wayne Jones, Ph.D., a child and family psychologist, is the Founder and Director of the Center for

Family Based Training, an organization which promotes the implementation of evidence-informed

systemic approaches, such as Eco-Systemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT), to treating youth with

severe emotional problems and their families. He has been the Principal Investigator of several major

community based federal research demonstration programs designed to improve the developmental

outcomes of young children living in multi-stressed families, and has published numerous journal

articles and book chapters on related topics. His book, Setting the Stage for Change: An Eco-Systemic

Approach to In-Home Family-Based Treatment, is a treatment manual for intensive in-home programs,

such as Pennsylvania’s Family Based Mental Health program. Dr. Jones is also Clinical Associate

Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine,

where he is on the training faculty of the Center for Couples and Families.

Workshop Outline (CST):

8:30 – 9:30  An introduction to attachment theory and a family systems perspective. How do they, together, enhance “thinking” about case conceptualization when treating children with emotional problems?

9:30 – 10:30 Describe clues for recognizing the attachment subtext in family interactions. Practice “seeing” patterns using videotape examples.

10:30 – 10:45  Break

10:45 – 12:00  Describe principles for strengthening parent child relationships within the family context.  Introduce and demonstrate the use of facilitated enactments.

IMPORTANT POLICIES:

Workshop Withdrawal:

Withdrawal requests should be submitted by email to training@watersedgecounselingnwa.com no later than 7 calendar days prior to the scheduled workshop date in order to receive a full refund of the paid workshop fee. Withdrawal requests that are submitted after 7 calendar days prior to the scheduled workshop date will not be refunded.

Participants who do not attend a workshop and do not submit a withdrawal request as outlined in the previous section prior to the completion of the workshop will not receive a refund. All refunds are processed within 7 business days of the completion of the workshop.

Workshop Cancellation:

Water’s Edge Counseling, Play Therapy & Training DBA   (Rising Tide Training Room) reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to insufficient enrollment,  inclement weather, instructor illness, or instructor family emergency. Water’s Edge Counseling, Play Therapy & Training will email workshop students at least 5 calendar days in advance of the scheduled workshop date to notify students of the cancellation. Notice will be provided with the option to reschedule for a future course date or to receive a full refund of paid workshop fees.

Grievance Policy:

Concerns should be addressed to Water’s Edge Counseling, Play Therapy & Training DBA   (Rising Tide Training Room)), 204 S. 24th Street, Rogers, AR 72756 or 1-479-621-0301 or emailed to training@watersedgecounselingnwa.com. When a complaint, either verbally or written, is filed Water’s Edge Counseling, Play Therapy & Training DBA   (Rising Tide Training Room), the following guidelines are followed with respect to achieving resolution:

Complaints relative to a speaker or workshop leader, contents of instructional materials being presented, or an individual education style being utilized, the person bringing the complaint should first address concerns with the presenter. If the presenter is not available, all comments should be placed in writing and sent to training@watersedgecounselingnwa.com. If complaints concerning the facility, or CEU's, they should be emailed to training@watersedgecounselingnwa.com or mailed to 204 S 24th Street, Rogers, AR 72758. The Director of Education will attempt to resolve the matter in a timely manner. If the offer of resolution is not satisfactory to the person filing the complaint, then further action may be taken. In this instance, a written request for reconsideration can be sent to the attention of the Director of Education. The complaint will then be reviewed by the Director of Education and members of the training committee. A written response will be issued within 30 days of receipt of the written complaint. The decision of the Director of Education is final.

ADA Needs:

We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our office for more information at 1-479-621-0301 or send an email to training@watersedgecounselingnwa.com.