DR DAN HUGHES PRESENTS: Therapeutic Interventions to Heal and Strengthen Three Vital Elements of Attachment and Mental Health: Relationships, Regulation and Reflection

Live stream conference (via Zoom)
12.00pm-5.00pm (GMT)

Please purchase your place via the online booking link and we will send you full instructions on how to join the live stream. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: info@childmentalhealthcentre.org

About the conference

Dr Dan Hughes has achieved international acclaim for his profoundly moving therapeutic work with the most troubled and traumatised children and young people. Illustrated with moving case material and film footage throughout, this day offers delegates a unique chance to learn from this international guest trainer, prolific author and world-leading child therapy clinician. Dan will explore the implementation of attachment theory into therapeutic practice, addressing key therapeutic interventions to heal and strength the three vital elements of attachment.

Relationship: Dan will demonstrate the impact of relating through PACE (play, acceptance, curiosity and empathy). This way of being in relationship supports children and young people to feel safe enough to process trauma and loss, to the point of resolution. Dan will also demonstrate effective relational interventions promoting an ability to trust, to seek comfort and solace when distressed, and to dare to reach out and attach. Dan will address what to say or how to be; to enable the child to make that essential shift from blocked trust to trust, from avoidant, anxious or disorganised attachment to secure attachment. He will offer theory, practice and moving case material to show how to reach out to children who don't want to get close to anyone, and who often treat people who want to help with contempt.

Regulation: When we are dysregulated, we are not able to learn, think, take in what the other person is saying or truly connect to anyone. Dan will demonstrate how to enable the children to come to a place of emotional and physiological regulation before embarking on in-depth work with their trauma history. He will demonstrate interventions that can impact long term on physiology and the brain’s stress response systems in ways that soothe, calm, bring down toxic stress to tolerable stress and make it psychologically safe enough for the child to attach.

Reflection: Through empathic reflection, Dan will demonstrate how to help the child address their inner world through acknowledging it in a felt way. Unless troubled children and teenagers have access to thoughtful adult minds through healing conversations, their unmanageable feelings often remain unmanageable, causing misery and heartache to both themselves and those around them for years to come. In light of this, Dan will show how with a trusted adult adept at therapeutic conversation, the child can be enabled to reflect on painful life experiences in ways that enable them to move on in their lives and thrive.

What you'll learn from attending?

• Learn about attachment theory and practice in terms of relationship, regulation and reflection
• Understand the relationship between empathy and secure attachment
• Understand the psychology of emotional regulation and why it is so key to the healing process
• Learn about the impact of empathic conversation on troubled children
• Learn how to help children talk about their feelings and engage in meaningful conversations about their lives
• Through moving case material witness how particular ways of relating, regulating and reflecting enables the child to make the shift from unbearable feelings to thinkable thoughts
• Witness how challenging behaviour often becomes a thing of the past, as empathy makes painful feelings thinkable
• Learn how to have a therapeutic conversation with a child and/or carer and child in ways that develop the capacity for emotional regulation and mentalisation

Dr Dan Hughes

Dan Hughes is world-leading practitioner in healing troubled children. He has achieved international acclaim for his profoundly transformative therapeutic work with the most troubled and traumatised children and young people. Dan’s empathic way of relating to children and young people can bring about major changes often in a few sessions.  He is a Clinical Psychologist and author of many books including Building the Bonds of Attachment - Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children Principles of Attachment-Focused Parenting. He has decades of groundbreaking and profoundly moving clinical practice with very traumatised adolescents who have moved into violence. On this day he will inspire delegates, by demonstrating his breathtaking way of relating to children. He will speak about how he makes profound connection, not over months and years but from the very first meeting.

More information about Dr Dan Hughes: www.danielhughes.org

Books by Dr Dan Hughes (including special offer discount prices)