Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT) is a comprehensive, attachment-based model developed by family therapy expert Dafna Lender for professionals who want practical, relational tools for working with children, adults, and families.
Many professionals find themselves working hard with clients —building insight, offering strategies, and supporting families through difficult moments—yet still encountering the same patterns again and again. Sessions can feel stuck, with progress that is understood but not consistently carried into daily life. IAFT was developed to help professionals move through these moments.
What makes IAFT distinct is its focus on helping professionals work directly with both child and caregiver, using practical tools that can be applied in real time. IAFT helps professionals recognize the patterns unfolding in the relationship, understand what is driving them, and intervene in ways that support safety, co-regulation, and connection.
Through this structured and flexible approach, professionals build relational skills, strengthen their confidence in the moment, and support change that can be felt, practiced, and sustained beyond the session.
Professionals learn how to:
Just as important, IAFT offers the opportunity to learn in a space with other professionals who are working through similar challenges. In addition to building practical skills, participants gain the benefit of learning from one another’s experiences, deepening their understanding through shared reflection, case-based insight, and a supportive professional community.
IAFT is designed for professionals who support children, adults, and families in a wide range of settings, including:
Whether you are newer to attachment-based work or looking to deepen an established practice, IAFT offers a practical framework you can begin using right away.
IAFT is an integrative, multidimensional framework grounded in attachment science, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic practice, and experiential family therapy. It gives professionals:
Through case-based learning, role-play, and hands-on practice, participants learn not only the theory, but how to apply it in meaningful and practical ways with the children, caregivers, and families they support.
Complete Level 1, which includes on-demand content and live sessions focused on the foundations of the IAFT model.
After Level 1, begin attending the Monthly Skills Group to deepen your learning through case discussion, skill practice, and collaborative reflection.
Complete Level 2, an advanced small-group training focused on deeper application of the model.
Complete the remaining Skills Group sessions as part of the full certificate pathway.
Upon completion of IAFT Level 1, IAFT Level 2, and 12 total Skills Group sessions, participants receive a certificate of completion and may be listed in the IAFT directory.
Program Tuition
Start with IAFT Level 1
IAFT Level 1 introduces the core framework and foundational tools of the model, and is the recommended starting point for all participants.
IAFT Level 1 offers both conceptual clarity and practical tools that professionals can immediately integrate into their work. It is designed to help participants understand the IAFT framework, strengthen their alliance with parents, and begin recognizing the patterns that shape distress in the parent–child relationship.
Participants will learn:
Understand the IAFT framework and core principles
Create a strong alliance with parents
Identify emotional misalignment between parent and child
Guide families toward relational repair rather than surface solutions
Support co-regulation, play, and meaning-making in sessions
After completing Level 1, participants are encouraged to begin the Monthly Skills Group. This group is designed to help professionals continue building confidence and deepening their skills within a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Through real clinical cases, practical skill-building, and shared reflection with peers, these sessions help participants strengthen their understanding of IAFT and apply the model with greater confidence in their work.
Participants will:
Integrative Attachment Family Therapy Level 2 is an advanced, small-group training for professionals who have completed Level 1 and are ready to deepen their application of the model.
After completing Level 1, participants who want to deepen their skills and continue toward the full training are encouraged to enroll in Level 2.
Through live teaching, case-based learning, and a more interactive training environment, Level 2 helps participants deepen their confidence, refine their clinical decision-making, and apply IAFT with greater nuance and skill.
Participants refine their ability to:
For many professionals, this is where the model begins to feel more natural, embodied, and deeply usable in practice.
Because Level 2 is offered in a small-group format and currently runs once a year, we encourage you to plan ahead.
“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.
Who is the IAFT Training Program for?
The IAFT Training Program is designed for professionals who work with children, adults, and families and want practical, attachment-based tools they can use in real time. This includes therapists, counselors, social workers, educators, coaches, child welfare professionals, school-based staff, and other professionals supporting parent–child relationships.
Do I need to be a family therapist to take this training?
No. While IAFT is rooted in child and family therapy, the model is relevant for a wide range of professionals who support children, parents, and relationships. The training is designed to be practical and accessible across disciplines.
Is this training only for people who work with children?
No. Although the model places strong emphasis on the parent–child relationship, IAFT is also relevant for professionals working with adults and families, especially when attachment patterns, relational distress, and caregiver dynamics are central to the work.
Do I need prior attachment training to benefit from IAFT?
No. The training is valuable both for professionals who are newer to attachment-based work and for those looking to deepen and expand an existing practice.
What will I learn in the training?
Participants learn how to recognize relational patterns as they are unfolding, work directly with both child and caregiver, respond to the parent’s nervous system in real time, and support safety, co-regulation, connection, and repair in the relationship.
How is IAFT different from other attachment-based approaches?
IAFT is not only about understanding attachment—it is about knowing how to work with it in practice. The model gives professionals practical, in-the-moment tools for recognizing what is happening in the relationship and intervening in ways that support meaningful change.
Will this training help me if I often feel stuck in sessions?
Yes. IAFT was developed for the moments when professionals feel they are working hard, offering insight and support, yet seeing the same patterns repeat. The model helps you better understand what is driving those patterns and gives you tools to respond differently in real time.
How is the training structured?
The full IAFT pathway includes Level 1, Level 2, and 12 Monthly Skills Group sessions. Together, these experiences help participants build knowledge, deepen application, and strengthen their skills over time.
Where should I start?
Most participants begin with IAFT Level 1, which introduces the core framework and foundational tools of the model. From there, participants are encouraged to join the Monthly Skills Group and then continue into IAFT Level 2. This pathway creates a strong foundation while allowing professionals to build confidence, deepen their skills, and continue integrating IAFT into their work over time.
What are the Monthly Skills Groups?
The Monthly Skills Groups are an important part of the IAFT learning process. They provide a supportive space where participants can deepen their understanding of the model, reflect on real clinical challenges, learn from the experiences of fellow professionals, and strengthen their skills through ongoing practice and discussion. They also help participants continue building confidence as they prepare for the next stage of training.
Are CE credits offered for every level?
IAFT Level 1 offers up to 6 live CE credit hours. IAFT Level 2 does not offer CE credits, as it is designed as a more hands-on, practical training.
Do I receive a certificate?
Yes. Participants who complete IAFT Level 1, IAFT Level 2, and 12 Monthly Skills Group sessions receive a certificate of completion.
Will I be listed in an IAFT directory?
Yes. After completing the full training requirements, participants may be listed in an IAFT directory.
Do you offer a group rate?
Yes. Group rates are offered for clinics, organizations, schools, and teams who would like multiple staff members to participate in the training together. When professionals learn IAFT as a group, it can strengthen shared understanding, support more consistent application of the model, and create greater alignment across the team. Private supervision groups for teams may also be available, offering a more tailored space to deepen the work, apply the model to shared clinical challenges, and support ongoing integration within your organization. For information about group rates, team registrations, or private supervision options, please contact [email protected].
Do you offer in-person trainings?
Yes. In-person trainings may be available for organizations, clinics, schools, or teams interested in bringing IAFT training directly to their staff or community. These trainings can offer a more immersive learning experience and may also be paired with private supervision or follow-up support. For more information about in-person training opportunities, please contact [email protected]
I have another question. Who should I contact?
For further questions, please contact [email protected]
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