Friday Lunchtime Program: Enhancing Attachment Security for Therapists and Clients: Clinical and Neurobiological Perspectives, Daniel Sonkin, PhD, LMFT

Enhancing Attachment Security for Therapists and Clients: Clinical and Neurobiological Perspectives 

What is going on in the minds both psychologically and biologically of secure and insecure people? Over the past 25 years, researchers from developmental and social psychology, as well as neuroscience, have provided empirical data shedding considerable light on this important question. Because of these research advances, clinicians are now able to use the available empirical data to integrate, update, and improve their treatment interventions with clients. Regardless of their clinical orientation, all MFTs are either directly or indirectly working to boost the attachment security of their clients, which essentially is equivalent to helping them to experience more satisfying, longer lasting, and stable interpersonal relationships with others. 

In this presentation, Daniel Sonkin will discuss the most current research on secure base priming and propose a model for augmenting the security-boosting effects of psychotherapy. Participants will have the opportunity to personally experience several secure base priming exercises and share their reactions in group discussions. With this presentation, Daniel Sonkin's hope is for participants to learn how to incorporate attachment security boosting techniques into their clinical work with individuals and couples. Click HERE to download the Powerpoint document he will be using in his presentation.

Daniel Jay Sonkin, PhD, is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and since 1981 he has held an independent practice in Sausalito, where he offers consultation, supervision, and psychotherapy to adult individuals and couples. As one of the pioneers and early specialists in the field of family violence, Daniel Sonkin developed a widely used protocol for treating male batterers. Among several books, he has authored Learning to Live Without Violence: A Handbook for Men, which has been published in English, Spanish, and Japanese and utilized by treatment programs around the world. For the past 25 years, Daniel Sonkin has focused on integrating attachment theory and neurobiology into his clinical work, and he has published numerous book chapters and articles on his approach. He recently developed the Secure Base Priming Program, and he is currently conducting a study and collecting data to measure the effects of repeated priming on attachment security and mood. He is the recipient of several awards, including the 1989 Clark Vincent Award in 1989 for Literary Contribution to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy and the Distinguished Clinical Member Award in 2000 from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Throughout his lifelong career in the field of psychology, he has further contributed as a teacher and speaker offering workshops nationally and internationally. For more information about his work visit www.danielsonkin.com. Also, to learn more about his research and study on secure base priming visit www.securebasepriming.org.