The Attachment-Focused Treatment Institute was founded by Arthur Becker-Weidman, Ph.D., the Founder and Director of the Center for Family Development, to provide training and certification in treatment methods based on attachment theory. The Attachment-Focused Treatment Institute is a collaborative venture of the
Academy For Human Development's Graduate Counseling Program and the Center For Family Development. The Attachment-Focused Treatment Institute certifies practitioners in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. CEU’s are awarded through the University and the Board of Psychology, Indiana.
Attachment-Focused Therapy includes psychotherapy, family therapy, and work by other professionals using the principles of attachment theory to guide interventions, treatment, and programs. Attachment-Focused Therapy is grounded in attachment theory, the neurobiology of interpersonal experience, and uses methods and principles from Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is an evidence based, effective, and empirically validated treatment that is grounded in current thinking and
research on the etiology and treatment of Complex Trauma or Developmental Trauma Disorder and Attachment Disorder. It is now recognized as a general approach to treatment. Therapy is primarily experiential.
The basic purpose of treatment is to help the child resolve a dysfunctional attachment and develop a healthy attachment. The goal is to help the child bond to the parents and to come to grips with the disappointment and anger at his/her first attachment figure(s) and their failure to parent (well). Said another way, the goal is to resolve the fear of loving and being loved. These children often have authority or control issues. Control, trust, and intimacy issues are prominent features of their pathology and the resolution of these issues is a major treatment objective.
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There are four certifications offered: .
DDP Certified Attachment-Focused Therapist
DDP Certified Attachment-Focused Family Therapist
DDP Certified Attachment-Focused Professional
DDP Certified Attachment-Focused Organization