Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT)
Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is a manualized, empirically supported family therapy model researched and designed by Dr. Guy Diamond, Dr. Gary Diamond, and Dr. Suzanne Levy. It is specifically designed to target family and individual processes associated with adolescent suicide and depression.
ABFT comes from interpersonal theories that suggest suicide and depression in adolescents can be precipitated, exacerbated, or buffered against by the quality of a family’s interpersonal relationships. It aims to repair ruptures in these familial relationships and rebuild them in a way that is emotionally protective and provides secure attachment for adolescents.
ABFT is proven to be effective in treating Depression in Teens. Rebecca Street, LMFT offers ABFT at Creative Family Counseling.
Treatment is characterized by 5 treatment tasks:
- Reframing the therapy to focus on interpersonal development.
- Building an alliance with the adolescent.
- Building an alliance with the parents.
- Facilitating conversations to resolve the attachment ruptures.
- Promoting autonomy and competency in the adolescent.
It is listed as a “proven” treatment by the Promising Practices Network and has received a quality of research score of 3.5 for depression, 3.6 for suicide ideation, and 4.0 for readiness for dissemination by the SAMHSA’s NREPP.
Click here for more information on ABFT.
