Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)

Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)

Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is an evidenced-based brief structured therapy designed for families of adolescents with depression. Therapists meet with the family together and the teen and caregivers separately to lead the family through five treatment tasks to enhance the bond, safety, and trust within the caregiver-child relationship. Parents learn emotional coaching skills, and adolescents work on improving communication skills to better identify and talk through their experiences and emotions with their caregivers. ABFT has been shown to reduce depression symptoms and decrease family conflict. The average timeline for completing ABFT is 12-16 weeks, making this form of family therapy much more brief than traditional family therapy. All Queen City Counseling & Consulting clinicians are trained in providing ABFT and will work with your family to tailor this model to fit your unique needs.

Family sessions are typically 90 minutes and are scheduled based on clients’ treatment plan and discussed during the initial assessment.