Attachment, Neurodevelopment & Psychopathology online training (Australia Eastern Time Zone)

This course focuses on the development, prevention and treatment of psychological disorder from infancy to adulthood. It weaves together theory, human development, assessment, case examples and treatment applications to reframe maladaptive behavior in terms of strategies for self-protection. The course emphasizes the process of adaptation and developmental pathways that carry risk for psychopathology. The course is aimed at professionals who work with troubled families or individuals, including, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, social workers, teachers and nurses. The aspects of adult development to be covered are chosen to enhance treatment of psychological maladaptation of adults and children (including families with child maltreatment, psychiatric disorder, and criminality). The course emphasizes adaptation and ways to change developmental pathways that carry risk for psychopathology.
Reorganisation and building resilience are treated as central to successful intervention. General and Family Functional Formulations will be introduced to highlight DMM Integrative Treatment.
The model used is the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) of Attachment and Adaptation. The DMM is a strength-based model that is relevant to individuals who are at-risk, have been exposed to danger, display disturbed or maladaptive behaviour, or are diagnosed as having a psychiatric disorder. Emphasis is given to how attachment explains maladaptive behaviour and how that is tied to culture and dangerous conditions.

An introduction is given to the DMM suite of assessments of attachment and adaptation:

• CARE-Index (ICI, infancy from birth to 15 months)
• Ainsworth Strange Situation (SSP, 11-15 months)
• Toddler CARE-Index (TCI, 16-36 months)
• Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA, 2 – 5 years)
• School-age Assessment of Attachment (SAA, 6-13 years)
• Family Drawings (4 -13 years)
• Transition to Adulthood Attachment Interview (TAAI, 16-25 years)
• Adult Attachment Interview (mid-20’s forward)

Learning Outcomes:

New skills:

Perceiving discrepant behaviour, seeing commonly overlooked clues.
Identifying false-positive affect and uncovering hidden problems in their early stages.
Differentiating symptoms and self-protective strategies, specifying how symptoms function.
Functional formulation: moving beyond symptom-based diagnoses to understanding the underlying function of behaviour (i.e. the needs the person is trying to meet).

Treatment planning, choosing treatment strategies to:

Increase efficiency
Lower cost
Reduce risk of iatrogenic harm

Take-away tools:

Level of family functioning scale.
Gradient of intervention scale.
Downloadable materials.
Daily text of slides (with registration only).
Bibliography of numerous published papers.

Who Should Attend?
The course is for professionals from a range of disciplines who work with adults, children and families where insecure attachment and / or unresolved trauma and loss may be a significant factor affecting family members’ safety, health, and well-being. This includes professionals working within mental health, social work, criminal justice, the voluntary / charitable sector, and related fields. A solid understanding of attachment theory is beneficial before attending the course. This course is also a prerequisite for people who intend to take courses in DMM assessments such as the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI).  Berry Street will be offering the AAI as an online course in 2027.

Trainer: Clark Baim 

Dates & Times
This course will be delivered over eight 3.5-hour webinars. Sessions will not be recorded.

Booking: via Berry Street, see the course page.

The course is in partnership with