Integrative Attachment Family Therapy Training Program

Integrative Attachment Family Therapy Training Program

A practical, attachment-based model for professionals working with children, adults, and families.

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:

  • Work directly with both child and caregiver, rather than focusing on one without the other
  • Notice and respond to the caregiver’s nervous system in real time
  • Use nonverbal communication, body-based presence, and therapeutic play to support change
  • Support caregivers in understanding—and shifting—their own reactive patterns, even when insight alone is not enough
  • Guide interactions between children and caregivers in ways that build safety, co-regulation, and repair in real time

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.

An invitation from Dafna Lender

Who This Training Is For

IAFT is designed for professionals who support children, adults, and families in a wide range of settings, including:

  • Counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and social workers
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Child welfare professionals and case managers
  • Educators, school-based clinicians, and support staff
  • Nurses, occupational therapists, addictions counselors, and other mental health professionals
  • Parents, caregivers, and professionals supporting parent–child relationships

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.

What Makes IAFT Different

IAFT is an integrative, multidimensional framework grounded in attachment science, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic practice, and experiential family therapy. It gives professionals:

  • A structured yet flexible way to understand and support relational change
  • Concrete, attachment-based activities they can use in practice
  • Tools for working directly and effectively with caregivers
  • Strategies for reducing defensiveness and building stronger relationships
  • Approaches that support children’s attachment security, resilience, and sense of self

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.

The IAFT Training Pathway

Step 1 — IAFT Level 1

Complete Level 1, which includes on-demand content and live sessions focused on the foundations of the IAFT model.

Step 2 — Begin the Monthly Skills Group

After Level 1, begin attending the Monthly Skills Group to deepen your learning through case discussion, skill practice, and collaborative reflection.

Step 3 — IAFT Level 2

Complete Level 2, an advanced small-group training focused on deeper application of the model.

Step 4 — Continue Skills Group Participation

Complete the remaining Skills Group sessions as part of the full certificate pathway.

Step 5 — Earn Your Certificate

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.

What do I do next?

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 →

Foundational Training

IAFT Level 1

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

Learn More about IAFT Level 1 →

Collaborative Learning Community

Monthly Skills Group

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:

  • Work with real clinical cases
  • Strengthen their ability to identify relational misalignment
  • Practice skills in a hands-on way
  • Learn alongside fellow professionals in a focused community

Learn More about the Monthly Skills Groups →

Advanced Application & Consultation

IAFT Level 2

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:

  • 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

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.

Learn More about IAFT Level 2 →

This training was so very valuable both in deepening my understanding and in developing my skill level of a framework that is so effective. It was profound to me how Dafna’s ability to provide an environment that is safe and supportive coupled with being in a group of peers who were all engaged and encouraging in the breakout groups, has allowed for so much growth.

IAFT Level 2 Participant

"When I stumbled upon your book on Amazon, it felt like I had found a missing piece to a puzzle. This approach affirms my hunches and instincts about where to go with families and provides a framework for doing so. My colleagues have expressed similar feedback. We sincerely appreciate your work. It has helped to confirm, consolidate, and inspire our team."

IAFT Participant

I love that you create safe, separate containers for both children and their caregivers. You teach straight-up caregiving survival skills- using real talk and real life examples that show how things can improve in even the most extreme situations. These are precious tools to use in times of escalation that are like magic.You rock.

Group Member

“My relief is that Dafna is willing to travel the off track & backroads of parenting with us. All the potholes, bad turns & lost moments...I am relieved to find Dafna, an off road parenting expert, familiar and not horrified with the road less travelled and willing to support our experiences.”

Group Member

“I feel like every parenting book, podcast, etc talks about the important of consistency BUT it was so refreshing and ACCURATE for someone to say external factors change, so you might need to change. It was an “ah ha” moment for me.”

Group Member

Dafna has a wonderful way of explaining things that I have heard before but never fully grasped or have a renewed way of thinking about it.. like that 'Aha' moment.”

Group Member

“Dafna’s delivery has been so refreshing. She has a way to make taboo subjects seem not so. And, unlike other parenting trainings I’ve done, I don’t leave the class with a huge sense of guilt for what I’m not doing right."

Group Member

I have often been discouraged by parenting courses and family therapy before, because it also feels like it all falls to the parent (specifically the mom) to “fix” it or make changes to see improvements. While Dafna recognized you can only change yourself and not your child, it didn’t feel discouraging at all. She recognized how challenging it is, and I appreciate that.

Group Member

I appreciate [Dafna's] non-judgmental, affirming nature.

Group Member

I really appreciate Dafna's direct, no nonsense approach to putting children's needs first while also being empathetic to parents. It's a tricky line to balance and she does it skillfully.

Group Member

This book should be required reading for anyone who works with children. As experienced therapists know, no one clinical model is comprehensive enough to work for everyone. However, Dafna Lender’s integrative attachment family therapy comes darn close. I am hard pressed to think of parents and children who would not be helped by her elegant approach. Through her gift of storytelling, complex ideas come alive in ways that are both poetic and practical. I can’t recommend this illuminating book highly enough!

Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S
Author & Podcaster

Dafna Lender presents an integrated therapeutic approach, IAFT, as an accessible, intuitive, optimistic, and compassionate strategy to strengthen the parent-child relationship. The product of this integration is a transformative therapeutic strategy that leverages the importance of both child and parent feeling safe enough to trust each other. Through clinical examples, we observe how this new felt sense of safety enables both the parent and child to become more accurate and respectful witnesses, a process that evolves into the parent-child co-regulation becoming more symmetrical and imbued with the resilience necessary to process potentially disruptive challenges that may confront either the child or the parent.

Stephen Porges, PhD
Author of The Polyvagal Theory and Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory

Integrative Attachment Family Therapy is a child-focused, multidimensional framework on the vanguard of treatments that heal and strengthen attachment issues in the parent-child relationship. With clear, accessible language and illustrative case examples, Dafna Lender shows how activities based on somatic practices can intervene in problem behaviors in children and in parents. The result is a comprehensive book that will benefit all mental health care professionals who strive to alleviate children’s pain and reconstruct family functioning.

Peter A. Levine, PhD
Best-selling author of Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma and Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing

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.
#1 New York Times best-selling author of The Body Keeps the Score

Dafna is a godsend, I have been to therapy to heal my own trauma to be a better parent and wasted no end of money. What I have learnt with Dafna through TRF is helping me to be the parent I have always wanted to be to my two adopted children who also have their trauma.The way Dafna talks is as though it is to me directly, her experience is visible in the examples she provides which is very relatable, whether talking about the children or how I experience my children as a parent.That saying of heal yourself first before healing your child is so true, I can now stop and think what may be coming up for me and my children through those difficult moments. Thank you TRF for introducing Dafna to my world.

Katie T.

I liked the real life examples, and Dafna's expertise is amazing. I particularly like that she looks beyond the behavior to what is driving the behavior. And the ideas about body placement, eye-contact, touch or no touch in regards to connection and de-escalation are priceless.

Michele T.

Dafna does an excellent job of explaining the approach she uses with high-needs children and teens. She gives very specific examples which are helpful to get a sense of how to use these strategies in real life. I loved when she demonstrated techniques with participants as the child or client. I like that Dafna says the hard things to parents--as in you need to work on yourself so you can show up better for your child.

Brooke F.

I loved the real life examples of how to implement what Dafna taught. I've learned to be less monotone with my voice, and that part of my child's behavior is normal for their age. I also like that she talked about regulating ourselves as parents before we react to our kids.

Kristen M.

Dafna is a great presenter, SO knowledgeable, and she shares the information in a thoughtful, gentle way.

Becki W.

I liked Dafna's straightforwardness. She obviously knows the common problems parents are facing and is able to talk directly about the solutions. I like how her approach is compassionate, and she opened up my mind about how a child's nervous system could be affecting their behavior.

Stephanie W.

Best parenting class I've attended so far, and I've attended many. I like the main philosophy, focusing on the behavior of the parents.

Jessica C.
← →

About Dafna Lender

Dafna is a child and family therapist with 30 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.

DAFNALENDER AP AZUREEWIITALA 2981

Frequently Asked Questions

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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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