ABFT Introductory Workshop (Spring 2026)

This is an intermediate level course. The target audience for this training includes Case Workers, Counselors, Couple and Family Therapists, Mental Health Professionals, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Social Workers.

Part One is also appropriate for ER Physicians, Health Care Administrators, Frontline MH staff, Primary Care Physicians, Psychiatric Nurses, and SAP Team members.

This is a live synchronous distance learning activity conducted in real time, allowing for simultaneous participation of participants and instructors from different locations.

Part 1 Program Objectives:

• Explain the theoretical foundation of ABFT. 
• Discuss the empirical support for ABFT. 
• Describe the five treatment task structure of the model. 
• Explain how to engage family members in strengthening their relationship as the first goal of therapy. 
• Identify strategies for helping youth explore and understand their attachment wounds and the impact it has on them.
• Discuss how to motivate youth to talk to parents about attachment injuries and traumas.
• Describe methods for increasing parental empathy for their child.
• Identify how to use in session enactments to enhance relational repair.

Part 2 Program Objectives:

• Identify the overall goal of each of the five treatment tasks 
• List the three guiding principles for preparing for an ABFT session. 
• Discuss when to build positive versus negative emotion in each task and the rationale for doing so. 
• Explain how culture is discussed and explored with families in ABFT. 
• Describe important components of the relational reframe task. 
• Discuss how to manage client resistance when asking for a relational contract. 
• Explain why exploring the mental health problem with the youth is important. 
• Describe how to manage difficulty in eliciting the attachment narrative.
• Discuss how to join with caregivers to motivate them to try to support their child in a different way.
• Explain how to prepare caregivers for attachment repair sessions with their child.
• Describe the important components of the attachment repair session(s).
• Discuss the importance of the process of the promoting autonomy conversations in Task 5.  

View approximate schedules for the training here:

ABFT Part 1 Schedule: Both Tracks

ABFT Part 2 Intro Webinar Schedule: Both Tracks

Part Two training involves small group role play.  Participating in the role play is a requirement in order to receive a Certificate of Completion or CEs.  

In general, one cannot miss more than approximately an hour of the training if they would like to receive a Certificate of Completion or CEs.

This live training will take place over Zoom. You will be emailed the Zoom link and relevant handouts a week before the first webinar will occur. 

We do require cameras to be on during the training as we are trying to simulate an in-person training. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us regarding this requirement should you have questions or concerns.

Please let us know if you have any disability or other special needs so that we can ensure that your needs will be fully met (info@abftinternational.com or 267-270-2245).  We will attempt to meet needs presented at the last minute, but 2 weeks notice will be appreciated 

Suzanne Levy, Ph.D.
Suzanne Levy, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned licensed clinical psychologist and co-developer of ABFT. Previously she was the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Training of the ABFT Training Program at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. Since 2007, Dr. Levy has been conducting ABFT training workshops and supervision for therapists nationally and internationally. She has presented regionally, nationally, and internationally on ABFT, emotion coaching, child and adolescent therapies, resilience, adolescent depression, adolescent development, and adolescent substance use.

Guy Diamond, Ph.D.
Guy Diamond, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and formerly was Associate Professor at Drexel University in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. His primary work has been in the area of youth suicide prevention and treatment research. On the prevention side, he has created a program focused on training, screening and triage to be implemented in non-behavioral health settings. On the treatment side, he has focused on the development and testing of attachment-based family therapy (ABFT), especially for teens struggling with depression and suicide. ABFT has now been applied to children and young adults, LGBTQ youth and adults, and adopted in clinics all over the world where it is used as a transdiagnostic approach to patient mental health and ruptures in family attachment.

*Additional instructors may be added.

This program is being offered for the following contact hours of continuing education:
Part One only: 6.5 hours
Part Two only: 13.25 hours
Full Two-Part training: 19.75 hours

The Center for Family Based Training, LLC  is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor Continuing Education for psychologists. The Center for Family Based Training, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

A $50 administrative fee will be charged for all refunds. Refund requests will be honored up to four business days before the start of the course and must be confirmed in writing. If cancellation occurs within three business days prior to the course, a refund will not be available. However, the full amount of tuition may be applied to a future course (i.e. you may transfer your registration to a future introductory workshop).

A $50 administrative fee will be charged for any returned checks due to insufficient funds.