Family Functional Formulation Seminar

The Family Functional Formulation Seminar is an advanced internet-based and residential course that involves working in a small group to develop a set of Family Functional Formulations (FFF) for court or clinical use. FFF seminars provide an opportunity to move from General Functional Formulations to develop family-specific FFFs to improve services to specific troubled individuals and their families. FFFs usually change the way a problem is understood and, therefore, the plan for intervention. Because participants work in a group, the seminar deepens the understanding of family functioning in 5-6 families, each with one or more troubled family members. Some, but not all, seminars will have a topic, such as family conflict, families with older adolescents, child maltreatment, etc.

Requirements: each participant will take the lead in preparing one FFF of a family that they assess, but will participate in all the FFFs. Participants will submit the assessments, consents and classifications for the family that they present during the seminar.

The final product will be delivered after the course in the form of a publishable FFF case study or an FFF that can be submitted to an actual family court proceeding. Whenever possible the FFFs will be published. When three FFFs have been successfully completed, a certificate will be awarded.

Duration: The Seminar involves 40 hours of meeting time, plus the production of an FFF.

Prerequisites and application: This is an invitational course. Course participants must have a master’s or doctoral degree and have taken:

• Attachment, Neurodevelopment, & Psychopathology
• Adult Attachment Interview
• 1 or more DMM child assessment courses (SSP, TCI, PAA, or SAA/Family Drawing)
• General Functional Formulation Seminar

Enrolment is limited to 5 people.

Interested people may request an invitation from the instructors.

Invited applicants should send a description of the problem that interests them, particular questions about the problem that their case highlights, and describe the family whose assessments they will bring to the course.