ABFT Special Topics Series
Redefining Trauma Treatment: Integrating EMDR Therapy and Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)
September 16, 2025
2pm-3:30pm Eastern Time
Speakers:
Meredith Dellorco, LCSW & Olivia Lynch, MS, LPC
*Option to receive CEs from APA/ASWB ($40 CE fee)
Special Offer: Register for two live Special Topics webinars at the same time and receive a $10 discount! Offer only eligible at time of purchase. Discount applied automatically in cart. If you are wanting CEs for both webinars, you only need to purchase CEs one time if you buy the webinars together.
Register for our summer 2025 Special Topics webinar:
Providing Attachment-Based Care in Inpatient and Residential Treatment Programs: Teamwork is Key!
Clinicians working with adolescents and young adults often face significant challenges when treating complex cases involving co-occurring conditions and trauma histories. Integrating Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help address these challenges effectively.
This webinar will start by exploring how emotional dysregulation and behavioral issues can impede the implementation of ABFT. We will highlight the advantages of combining EMDR with ABFT, drawing on recent clinical experiences and insights from a collaborative work group that developed a clinical guide for this integrated approach.
Participants will receive a review of both therapeutic models, including their mechanisms for facilitating change. We will demonstrate how EMDR can enhance the effectiveness of ABFT across its five core tasks, using case examples and clinical skills to illustrate the integration process.
Attendees will gain practical strategies for applying the integrated approach in various clinical settings, along with valuable insights into potential challenges and benefits. The session aims to inspire clinicians to blend individual and family therapy techniques effectively, ultimately enhancing treatment outcomes for a diverse range of clients.
The target audience for this webinar includes Counselors, Couple and Family Therapists, Mental Health Professionals, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Social Workers and school personnel.
- Discuss the 5 Tasks in Attachment- Based Family Therapy and the 8 phases of Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy.
- Identify at least 3 ways EMDR can be integrated into ABFT to increase treatment progress.
- Describe 2 key takeaways regarding the benefits of utilizing EMDR and ABFT cohesively.
Meredith Dellorco, LCSW, is the National Director of the ABFT Training Program at Newport Healthcare. She facilitates ABFT Introductory and Advanced Trainings, and clinical group supervision to clinicians nationally at Newport Healthcare. She has also presented on ABFT through numerous webinars and training events. She recently published an article in the Family Process Journal on “Bolstering family therapy: Assimilating EMDR into ABFT in youth residential treatment”. Meredith has presented at a number of conferences, including NAMI (2025), ARC (2024), the Adolescent Mental Health Symposium of Dallas (2024) and ATTACh (2023).
She graduated from Columbia University with a master’s in social work, including an advanced clinical practice with children, youth and families. She has extensive trauma treatment experience with children, adolescents and families, including work as a primary therapist for at risk youth and families in the New York City foster care system and as an outpatient therapist providing a range treatment to children, adolescents and families in Sandy Hook, CT, following a community tragedy. She is additionally trained in CBT, DBT, EMDR, motivational interviewing and TF-CBT.
Olivia Lynch, MS, LPC is a licensed professional counselor, EMDR Trainer, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and National Director of EMDR Services at Newport Healthcare. With extensive experience in residential and outpatient mental health settings, Olivia has developed and oversees a nationwide EMDR training and consultation program, supporting over 200 clinicians.
Olivia is an adjunct faculty member at the Institute for Creative Mindfulness and has presented nationally on the intersection of EMDR and ABFT, highlighting their combined effectiveness in fostering healing and resilience among adolescents, families, and marginalized communities. She is also a co-author of “Bolstering Family Therapy: Assimilating EMDR into ABFT in Youth Residential Treatment” (2024), published in Family Process, which explores innovative approaches to integrating EMDR within family therapy to enhance outcomes for youth in residential care.
She is passionate about expanding the accessibility and adaptability of EMDR within diverse clinical settings, including residential treatment centers and community agencies. Her expertise extends beyond trauma-focused care to address a range of mental health concerns, including attachment ruptures, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and the impact of systemic oppression.
Regular Registration: $35 per person
This live webinar will take place over Zoom.
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.
This program is being offered for the following contact hours of continuing education: 1.5 hours
This training is co-sponsored by US Journal Training.
US Journal Training is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor Continuing Education for psychologists. US Journal Training maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
U.S. Journal Training #1143 is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) Program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. U.S. Journal Training maintains responsibility for the program. ACE approval period: 12/5/22-12/5/25.