Online IOP for College Students and Emerging Adults in MA & VT
A virutal conference presented by the Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center, Yale Child Study Center, and the Anna Freud Centre
Mentalization—the capacity to understand one’s own and others’ behavior in terms of underlying thoughts, feelings, and intentions—is fundamental to emotional well-being, learning, and effective interpersonal functioning. Yet, how mentalization develops and operates can vary widely across age, culture, and context.
Part 1 of 2
Presentation: "Using Reflective Supervision to Promote Mentalization in Clinical and Educational Settings"
Presenter: Nancy Close, PhD
Description: This presentation begins with asking the audience to think of a supervisory experience that did not go well for them as a supervisee and to share some adjectives that would describe that experience in the chat. They respond about a supervisory experience that was positive and growth producing for them. An overview of the components and effectiveness of reflective supervision are then be presented. Vignettes of the reflective supervision process in both clinical and educational settings are described.
Presenter: Nancy Close, PhD
Description: This presentation begins with asking the audience to think of a supervisory experience that did not go well for them as a supervisee and to share some adjectives that would describe that experience in the chat. They respond about a supervisory experience that was positive and growth producing for them. An overview of the components and effectiveness of reflective supervision are then be presented. Vignettes of the reflective supervision process in both clinical and educational settings are described.
Presentation: "Mentalizing with Parents: Supporting a Neurodiverse Adolescent through Epistemic Justice and Systemic Reflection"
Presenter: Norka Malberg, PsyD
Description: This presentation explores the clinical value of working with parents from a mentalization based perspective. It draws on a complex case involving a 14-year-old neurodiverse adolescent and the therapeutic work undertaken with their parents. The discussion reflects on how adopting a mentalizing stance can influence and support the wider systems surrounding the young person. The concept of epistemic justice is briefly introduced and linked to the mentalizing stance, highlighting its relevance in recognizing and valuing parents’ and young people’s perspectives within clinical work.
Presenter: Norka Malberg, PsyD
Description: This presentation explores the clinical value of working with parents from a mentalization based perspective. It draws on a complex case involving a 14-year-old neurodiverse adolescent and the therapeutic work undertaken with their parents. The discussion reflects on how adopting a mentalizing stance can influence and support the wider systems surrounding the young person. The concept of epistemic justice is briefly introduced and linked to the mentalizing stance, highlighting its relevance in recognizing and valuing parents’ and young people’s perspectives within clinical work.
Presentation: "Assessing and Promoting Parental Reflective Capacities in Sessions with Parents of Young Children"
Presenter: Michael B. Hager, PhD
Description: Reflective functioning (RF) refers to an adult’s capacity to understand behavior in oneself and others as being motivated by underlying mental states, such as thoughts, feelings, desires, and intentions (Fonagy et al., 1991). Further, parental reflective functioning specifically describes a caregiver’s ability to recognize, interpret, and respond to their child’s internal experiences (Luyten et al., 2017; Slade, 2005). This presentation reviews the current literature on parental reflective functioning, including its well-established associations with children’s social-emotional development and attachment security, as well as the primary methods used to assess it. Building on this foundation, the speaker proposes a novel observational framework that clinicians can use in-session to evaluate parental reflective capacities in real time, supporting ongoing monitoring of growth in these skills and informing tailored intervention strategies. Clinical vignettes illustrate varying “levels” of parental reflective functioning, and examples of targeted interventions designed to strengthen parental reflection are also outlined.
Presenter: Michael B. Hager, PhD
Description: Reflective functioning (RF) refers to an adult’s capacity to understand behavior in oneself and others as being motivated by underlying mental states, such as thoughts, feelings, desires, and intentions (Fonagy et al., 1991). Further, parental reflective functioning specifically describes a caregiver’s ability to recognize, interpret, and respond to their child’s internal experiences (Luyten et al., 2017; Slade, 2005). This presentation reviews the current literature on parental reflective functioning, including its well-established associations with children’s social-emotional development and attachment security, as well as the primary methods used to assess it. Building on this foundation, the speaker proposes a novel observational framework that clinicians can use in-session to evaluate parental reflective capacities in real time, supporting ongoing monitoring of growth in these skills and informing tailored intervention strategies. Clinical vignettes illustrate varying “levels” of parental reflective functioning, and examples of targeted interventions designed to strengthen parental reflection are also outlined.