The Conference

To introduce the approach, we are organizing a 1-day conference (2024.11.30.) the day after the training, not only for professionals working in clinical settings, but also for professionals working in the social sector and education.

We would also like to address colleagues working in family support and education who might benefit from learning about the theoretical and practical background of mentalisation-based therapeutic work

The main topic of the conference is the Crisis of Trust.

Registration fee for the conference: 35,000 HUF. For social workers, teachers and those who participate in the MBT Basic or MBT-A training before the conference, 20,000 HUF, and for university students 15,000 HUF.

The conference is worth 6 credits points.

The application becomes final with the payment.

The planned location of the conference: Sapientia Szerzetesi Hittudományi Főskola, Budapest, Piarista köz 1, 1052

The program

  • 8.30-8.55 Registration
  • 9.00-9.15 Opening Ceremony
  • 9.15-10.45 Therapeutic challenges for people with severe personality disorders in the light of mentalization-based therapies – Prof. Anthony W. Bateman MA, FRC Psych, psychiatrist, psychotherapist
  • 10.45-11.15 Coffee break
  • 11.15-12.45 Presentation of the AMBIT model – Therapy teams and crisis – Liz Cracknell, Mental Health Nurse, Family Therapist (online)
  • 12.45-13.45 Lunch break
  • 13.45-15.00 The epistemic crisis of the early 21st century, clues from development and psychotherapy – Prof. Peter Fonagy, CBE, FBA, FAcSS, FMedSci (online)
  • 15.00-16.15 Co-creation of a mentalizing environment in adolescent therapy – Insights from the consultation room – Dr Holly Dwyer Hall, Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and Trained Mentalization-Based Therapist, Specialist Supervisor and Trainer, Head of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Department at the Anna Freud Center
  • 16.15 – 16.45 Coffee break
  • 16.45-18.00 Reflective parenting and reflective work with parents – Vessela Aravena, PhD Camellia Hancheva, PhD
  • 18.00-18.30 Closing remarks – Erika Pap, Tamás Kárpáti

Our Presenters

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Péter Fónagy, CBE,

    Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science, Head of Division for Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL and Executive Clinical Director, UCLPartners Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme. Peter was Chief Executive of Anna Freud for over 20 years and

    His clinical and research interests lie in early attachment relationships, social cognition, borderline personality disorder and violence. A central focus has been an innovative research-based psychodynamic therapeutic approach, mentalization-based treatment, which was developed in collaboration with a number of clinical sites in the UK and USA. Publishing over 700 scientific papers and 23 books

  • The epistemic crisis of the early 21st century, clues from development and psychotherapy

    Mentalization-based theory concerned itself with the social process of epistemic trust and the psychological processes underpinning and facilitating it, which may have relevance for the emergence of mental disorders. In this presentation, we focus on the same mechanisms in explaining how the biological system underpinning mentalizing and trust contributes to social well-being, but can also misfire in a technological environment that is no longer compatible with the environment of biological adaptation from which these essential tools of culture emerged.

    CBE, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science, Head of Division for Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL and Executive Clinical Director, UCLPartners Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme. Peter was Chief
    Executive of Anna Freud for over 20 years and

    Email: p.fonagy@ucl.ac.uk

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Anthony W. Bateman

    A member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, psychotherapist,
    the UK president of the European Society for Personality Disorders,
    the MBT coordinator at the Anna Freud Centre in London,
    a professor at University College London, and
    an honorary professor at the University of Copenhagen.

    Anthony W. Bateman is an outstanding psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has made significant contributions to psychological and mental health research. His work primarily focuses on borderline personality disorder, for which he has introduced innovative treatment approaches. Together with Peter Fonagy and other colleagues, he developed Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), which emphasizes the relationship between the client and therapist, as well as the development of mentalization capacity. His numerous scientific publications and books have contributed to the advancement of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic practice. Through his work, he has become a respected member of the psychotherapy community and actively participates in international conferences. His research and therapeutic methods continue to be of fundamental importance in clinical practice.

  • Effecting change in people with antisocial personality: moving a crisis of distrust to
    everyday mistrust

    Treatment in the community of people with characteristics of antisocial personality (ASPD) –
    failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviours; irritability and
    aggressiveness; impulsiveness; disregard for the feelings and safety of others; and disregard for one’s safety and for the consequences of one’s behaviour – is problematic. In community clinical services clinicians tend to avoid offering treatment and patients show a high drop-out rate from any treatment offered.

    The contribution of ASPD to violent criminal behaviour is clear. In this session a mentalizing
    perspective on understanding the relationship between ASPD and violence will be summarised and an outline given of the intervention process that results from this.

    Three interlinked domains underpin antisocial attitudes and behaviour – mentalizing problems, forms of attachment strategy activation, and pervasive epistemic mistrust. People
    with ASPD show high levels of distrust and are unable to learn from others. This is driven by
    mentalizing problems – impaired recognition of basic emotions in themselves and others, compromised capacity to link mental states to behaviour, difficulty with perspective-taking
    problems and in reading others’ mental states. They perform far worse than controls on subtle tests of mentalizing. Antisocial behaviour and violence tend to occur when an understanding of others’ mental states is developmentally compromised, most often from early trauma, and prone to being lost when the attachment system is activated by perceived threats to self- esteem, such as interpersonal rejection or disrespect. Interventions for ASPD should be geared to enabling individuals to examine more reflectively their own states of mind and understand others’ minds, and to behave more prosocially. Pervasive distrust in the world needs to become everyday mistrust. Some evidence for the MBT approach will be discussed.

    Anthony Bateman MA FRCPsych Consultant to the Anna Freud Centre, London; Visiting
    Professor University College, London.

    Email: anthony.bateman@ucl.ac.uk

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Holly Dwyer Hall, PsyD,

    is a registered child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapist and qualified Mentalization Based Treatment practitioner, supervisor and trainer with children, adolescents and families and MBT Practitioner with adults. She currently lectures on the Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy with UCL, Anna Freud and the British Psychotherapy Foundation and on the Early Child Development and Clinical Applications MSc at UCL. Holly has published papers and chapters on mentalization based treatments, rupture and resolution processes in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and the practice of infant observation. Her clinical work spans 24 years in both child and adult services in the UK’s National Health Service, social care and the private sector. She currently works at Anna Freud as Lead for Psychodynamic Psychotherapies and MBT with children, young people and families where she also provides assessment and treatment for children and young people who have experienced complex early relational trauma.

  • Co-creating mentalizing contexts in work with adolescents – Moving beyond the consulting room

    Adolescence, a transformative phase of human development, is marked by a growing need for social support. Research has underscored the significance of a robust social network in fostering resilience and promoting well being. This presentation will consider how mentalizing therapists work within the therapeutic dyad to promote the adolescents mentalizing in social contexts and, how we might step outside the in dividual therapy room to address mentalizing barriers preventing the adolescent from accessing the every day social support network cruciail to theoir development inot adulthood.

    Dr Holly Dwyer Hall, Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and Mentalization Based Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer

    Email: Holly.DwyerHall@annafreud.org

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Camellia Hancheva, PhD

    is an Associate Professor of Developmental psychology, at the Department of General, Experimental, Developmental and Health Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University, Bulgaria. She is the founder and Head of Center for Psychological Counselling and Research, Faculty of Philosophy, founder and director of Master Program Child & Adolescent and school psychology (assessment and counselling). Her main research interests are in the field of relational psychoanalysis and the application of a psychoanalytic methodology for understanding micro-processes of human development within the attachment dyads and macro processes of group and social interactions. Camellia Hancheva is trained as a systemic family therapist and has clinical experience with terminally ill patients and their families and people with traumatic losses. As a part of various research networks, Camellia Hancheva is a node leader for Bulgaria and the coordinator of the Social Trauma Course for seven universities in the Balkans and Germany. The ongoing social and academic mission of her work is to explore the impact of social trauma in post-war and post-totalitarian societies and the enhancement of reflexivity, mentalization and empathy on individual and social levels.

  • Reflective parenting and reflective work with parents

    Reflective Parenting Programme is an approach informed by the developmental, attachment, and mentalizing theory. The psychoeducational intervention based on these theoretical ideas aims to enhance caregivers’ curiosity about their and their children’s inner world. It promotes a better understanding of the parent-child relationship and interactions. The manualised programme is delivered as eight 2-hour weekly sessions in a group format. The novelty of the approach and its sound theoretical foundation in mentalization theory determined our choice of this particular programme for adaptation and implementation in the Bulgarian context. We would like to share our experience as facilitators of Reflective Parenting groups in Bulgaria, implementation challenges, language adaptation, observation of cultural context and specifics of the group will be discussed.

    Associate Prof. Camellia Hancheva, PhD, Sofia University St Kliment Ochridski,
    Head of Centre for Psychological Counselling and Research
    Head of division Developmental Psychology at BPS

    Email: hancheva@phls.uni-sofia.bg

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Vessela Aravena,

    holds a BA in English Philology and an MA in Child and Adolescent Psychologist and is currently a PhD candidate in Developmental Psychology at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. She is a certified Family Consultant and a Systemic Psychotherapist Trainee at the Insititute for Family Therapy – Bulgaria. Vessela is a Reflective Parenting Practitioner and an MBT-F practitioner under supervision. She has 5 years of professional experience working as a Special Education Teacher and a School Psychologist. In her clinical practice, Vessela is working mainly with children and families.

  • Reflective parenting and reflective work with parents

    Reflective Parenting Programme is an approach informed by the developmental, attachment, and mentalizing theory. The psychoeducational intervention based on these theoretical ideas aims to enhance caregivers’ curiosity about their and their children’s inner world. It promotes a better understanding of the parent-child relationship and interactions. The manualised programme is delivered as eight 2-hour weekly sessions in a group format. The novelty of the approach and its sound theoretical foundation in mentalization theory determined our choice of this particular programme for adaptation and implementation in the Bulgarian context. We would like to share our experience as facilitators of Reflective Parenting groups in Bulgaria, implementation challenges, language adaptation, observation of cultural context and specifics of the group will be discussed.

    Vessela Aravena, BA in English Philology and an MA in Child and Adolescent Psychologist and is currently a PhD candidate in Developmental Psychology at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Family Consultant and a Systemic Psychotherapist Trainee at the Insititute for Family Therapy – Bulgaria. Reflective Parenting Practitioner and an MBT-F practitioner under supervision.

    Email: vessela.aravena@phls.uni-sofia.bg

  • Bio
  • Abstract
  • Liz Cracknell

    is Joint Programme Director for AMBIT at Anna Freud. As a Mental Health Nurse and Systemic Practitioner, Liz has specialised in work with young people with multiple needs in both outreach and secure settings, utilising the AMBIT approach. She has contributed to the development of AMBIT and a number of key publications and has delivered AMBIT consultation, training and supervision to hundreds of workers in a range of health, social care, education and justice contexts, in the UK and internationally.

  • Mentalizing, trust and mistrust with clients, within teams and across networks: the AMBIT approach

    This presentation introduces AMBIT (adaptive mentalization based integrative treatment), a whole-team approach for teams – in a range of settings – who work with people with multiple needs, particularly in high-risk, high-stress contexts. It will emphasise the importance of mentalizing and attention to processes of epistemic trust and mistrust not only with clients, but within teams and across networks. The adaptive nature of epistemic mistrust in each of these contexts will be explored.

    Joint Programme Director for AMBIT at Anna Freud. As a Mental Health Nurse and Systemic Practitioner, Liz has specialised in work with young people with multiple needs in both outreach and secure settings, utilising the AMBIT approach. She has contributed to the development of AMBIT and a number of key publications and has delivered AMBIT consultation, training and supervision to hundreds of workers in a range of health, social care, education and justice contexts, in the UK and internationally.

    Email: Liz.Cracknell@annafreud.org