Reflective Function and Mentalization
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Tavistock Relationships
Description
Reflective Function and Mentalization
Early Relationships and Mental Health: Session Two
With Dr. Arietta Slade
Dr Arietta Slade, named ‘one of the world’s best experts in this field’ by Peter Fonagy, will offer the second talk in our series on early relationships and mental health designed for a wide range of professionals, including parent-infant psychotherapists, child and adolescent psychotherapists, adult and couple psychotherapists, as well as those working with parents and infants in other settings.
Dr. Slade works with mothers, babies, and their families to strengthen reflective capacities, focusing on relational disruptions stemming from the mothers’ and fathers’ early trauma and attachment histories. This is especially crucial in cases where the parent struggles with Complex Trauma Disorder, linked to chronic caregiving disruptions. Complex Trauma Disorder frequently arises from prolonged relational challenges with primary caregivers, leading to issues like depression, anxiety, self-harm, and difficulties with parenting. Early intervention not only supports the mother but also significantly lowers the baby’s risk of developing similar psychopathology later in life. By addressing these patterns in the parents, this therapeutic approach helps break the cycle of intergenerational trauma, fostering healthier outcomes for both parents and child.
Dr Slade is Professor Adjunct at the Yale Child Study Center, and Professor Emerita in the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at the City University of New York. An internationally recognised theoretician, clinician, researcher, and teacher, she has published widely on reflective parenting, the clinical implications of attachment theory, the development of parental mentalization, and the relational contexts of early symbolization. She has been co-directing Minding the Baby, an interdisciplinary reflective parenting home visiting program for high-risk mothers, infants, and their families, for over 20 years.
If you are interested in attending the entire Early Relationships and Mental Health Series please visit the webpage Early Relationships and Mental Health Series-Courses (trtogether.com)
This series is developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Supervision of Parent-Infant Relationships (NCSPIR). NCSPIR offers clinical supervision to practitioners and their supervisors working with parents and infants as part of the UK government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life program, which aims to improve early years services for families with children aged 0 to 2.
For full information see https://trtogether.com
For information about Tavistock Relationships visit https://tavistockrelationships.org
For information about NCSPIR visit https://ncspir.org.uk
