Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT) is a comprehensive, attachment-based intervention model developed by family therapy expert and attachment specialist Dafna Lender. IAFT is designed to help professionals move beyond surface behaviors and address the root cause of distress in families: misalignment in the parent–child relationship.
Rather than viewing the child as the problem, IAFT reframes difficult behaviors—tantrums, defiance, withdrawal, chronic conflict—as signals of relational strain. At the same time, it compassionately addresses reactive parenting patterns such as yelling, pleading, threatening, giving up, or giving in. The model focuses on restoring safety, strengthening attachment, and building co-regulation so that lasting change becomes possible.
The IAFT Training Program offers a clear, practical pathway for professionals who want to confidently guide families toward deeper connection and resilience.
The IAFT training program allows clinicians to become fully trained in the model by fulfilling the following requirements:
STEP 1
Complete IAFT Level 1: 6 hours of on-demand content and 6 hours of live sessions.
STEP 2
Begin attending the monthly Skills Group after completing Level 1.
STEP 3
Complete IAFT Level 2: 12 hours of live sessions.
STEP 4
Complete remaining Skills Group sessions.
STEP 5
Receive a certificate of completion and be listed on the IAFT directory upon completing IAFT Level 1, IAFT Level 2, and a total of 12 Skills Group sessions.
Tuition $1,195 (pay in full at get $100 off, or pay as you go)
IAFT is an integrative, multidimensional framework grounded in attachment science, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic practice, and experiential family therapy. It equips clinicians with:
A structured yet flexible treatment roadmap
Concrete, attachment-based activities
Tools for working directly and effectively with parents
Strategies to reduce defensiveness and build strong therapeutic alliances
Interventions that enhance children’s attachment security, resilience, and sense of self
Through clinical case analysis, role-playing, and hands-on practice, participants learn not only the theory, but how to apply it in the therapy room.
Integrative Attachment Family Therapy Level 1 provides both conceptual clarity and practical tools that clinicians can immediately integrate into their work. Participants will learn:
The IAFT framework and core principles
How to create a strong alliance with parents—the often-missing link in child therapy
How to identify and address emotional misalignment between parent and child
How to guide families to focus on relational repair rather than surface behaviors
How to support co-regulation, play, and meaning-making in sessions
The On-going Monthly Skills Group sessions are designed to support clinicians' learning through a collaborative, focused, and supportive community to deepen their practice of IAFT. During these sessions participants will:
Work with real clinical cases to strengthen their ability to identify relational misalignment
Hands-on skill practice
Collaborative learning with fellow clinicians
Integrative Attachment Family Therapy Level 2 is an advanced, small-group training designed for clinicians who have completed Level 1. Participants refine their ability to:
Structure IAFT sessions effectively (do’s and don’ts)
Facilitate “Deliberate Dialogue” between parent and child
Keep children regulated and cooperative in session
Guide parents away from criticism and lectures
Support parents in developing self-regulation and self-compassion
“Dafna Lender’s framework, Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT), uses the power of neuroplasticity to provide parents and children with new experiences of safety and connection that shift trauma-informed relationships. It offers a powerful mental health intervention that can help families to heal. If parents and therapists follow Dafna’s guidance, they can make significant progress in reducing attachment trauma in future generations.”
Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Dafna is a child and family therapist with over 20 years of experience. She is a certified trainer, supervisor, and consultant in Theraplay® and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and coauthor of Theraplay: The Practitioner’s Guide. Dafna has successfully treated children and their parents with a variety of backgrounds, including children raised in orphanages, with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, exposed to domestic violence and community violence and children of parents with chronic mental illness and attachment wounds. Dafna provides trainings and consultations for psychologists and psychotherapists around the world.
Counselors, Social Workers, Psychotherapists, Marriage & Family Therapists, Nurses, Psychologists, Addictions Counselors, Occupational Therapists, Case Managers, Mental Health Professionals, Parents, Teachers and Caregivers.
This program is offered at the introductory level. It is suitable for graduate level learning and accessible for anyone with an interest in the subject.
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