Attachment-Based Family Therapy

ATTACHMENT-BASED FAMILY THERAPY

On Tuesday, August 31, 2010, Dr. Fenny Braide, attended and participated in research introductory workshop organized by The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The finding shows that The Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is the only manualized, empirically-informed family therapy model specifically designed to target family and individual processes associated with adolescent suicide and depression. ABFT emerges from interpersonal theories that suggest adolescent depression and suicide can be precipitated, exacerbated, or buffered against by the quality of interpersonal relationships in families. It is a trust-based, emotional-focused psychotherapy model that aims to repair interpersonal ruptures or traumas and rebuild an emotional protective, secure-based, parent-child relationship.

The initial focus of the ABFT is for repairing or strengthening attachment and then turns to promoting adolescent autonomy. The model is emotionally focused but provides structure and goal, thereby increasing therapist's intentionality and focus on the family.

Treatment is characterized by five treatment tasks:

(a) reframing the therapy to focus on interpersonal development (b) facilitating conversations to resolve attachment rupture (c) building alliance with parents (d) facilitating conversations to resolve attachment ruptures, and (e) promoting competency in the adolescent.

Try it! Incorporate Attachment-Based Family Therapy with evidence based cognitive behavioral therapy and see how it works.

Posted: Sept 27, 2010

Dr. Fenny Braide, is a Psychotherapist and Lead Clinician @ The Behavioral Health Center, Philadelphia.

Schizophrenia: Genetic Factors

Genetic Factors of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia seriously impairs ones ability to cope with daily responsibilities. someone diagnosed with schizophrenia may have impaired ability to work, enjoy relationships or care for self - leading to social withdrawal and deterioration in social and daily functioning capability.

Experts believe that genetic factors is a contribution of imbalance chemicals in the brain, structural by the prenatal environment. In addition, stressful life events may trigger predisposed symptoms of the illness. This may include circumstances such as death of a loved one, marriage break-up, loss of job or sudden career change, reported/unreported sexual or physical abuse can increase trigger the chances of schizophrenia in a person biologically predisposed to the disease.

Delusions are fixed beliefs that are not amenable by argument or conviction because they are not with the person's educational, social and cultural orientation background. For example: a schizophrenic may think that people know what is on his mind. A client once told me that FBI is watching him and that his mails are always half open - we call this thought broadcast. The schizophrenic believes that he has no secrets anymore, he wants to say a lot of things but feels like people have stolen his thoughts away. Sometimes clients like this can get worried and withdraw because they cannot explain how people get know about them.

People with schizophrenia may also experience hallucinations; they hear, feel, taste things that are not really there. Hallucinations may include two or more voices that continually comment on the person's life. A schizophrenic may talk to himself, walk backwards, laugh when not necessary, make funny faces or even masturbate in public. They often talks incoherently or nonsensical and suggest confused thoughts.

It is always a good idea to know your family history and seek help as needed.

Posted: Sept 24, 2010

Dr. Fenny Braide, is a psychotherapist @ The Behavioral Health Center, Philadelphia.