At Shalem there is continual activity in our attachment program. Attachment, the deep and enduring emotional bond that connects people in relationships, is a central focus of all of Shalem’s programs.
One program in particular seeks to help parents and children develop close, deep attachment bonds, particularly in relationships between foster and adoptive parents and their children. The primary model of therapy used to do this is Dr. Daniel Hughes’ attachment focused therapy model called Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).
There are a number of ways we keep developing our work in DDP. One way is to have regular study days with other DDP therapists, and another is to attend the DDP International conference.
Betty Brouwer, Shalem’s Director of Attachment, along with Michelle Hogeterp (Ottawa) and Sian Phillips (Kingston) hosted the DDP Ontario Study day on May 26th in Ottawa. These study days help keep people engaged in the work of DDP, giving opportunities for people to practice DDP skills, get a refresher in the model, and connect with others in the field twice a year.
However in lieu of our fall study day this year, we are encouraging people to attend the upcoming DDP International conference which will be taking place in Kingston, ON from October 30 to November 1, 2017. The conference is a great opportunity to connect with other DDP therapists from all over the world, and to connect with leaders in the field. This conference draws people from all over, including the USA, UK, Australia, Canada as well as other countries.
The first day of the conference will feature Danny Yeung of Toronto, who is well versed in a form of attachment therapy for individuals. Days two and three will feature various applications of DDP in clinical settings along with a presentation by Dr. Michael Chang from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Dr. Chang will address the issue of technology and attachment. It is promising to be an exciting and informative three days.
We hope you will come and join us this fall and get to know the DDP community! For more information and to register please go to Attachment Association of Canada website.
In other attachment news at Shalem, Jennifer and Betty are in the process of finalizing details for our next bi-annual attachment conference in the Cradle to Grave signature series slated for the fall of 2018. More details to follow in the months to come.
If you are interested in knowing more about training in the DDP model or to become a certified DDP therapist, or if you are interested in a one-day workshop on attachment, brain, trauma and PACE, call us at 1.866.347.0041.
Betty is our Director of the Linking Lives/Building Attachment program and the Artistic Director of Shalem’s RE-create Outreach Art Studio.