Forensic Interest in Trauma

FIT meetup 26/07/2018

Topic:

• AMBIT – Adult Mentalization-Based Integrative Therapy

AMBIT Resource shared: “Supporting and enhancing mentalization in community outreach teams working with hard-to-reach youth: the AMBIT approach” (D. Bevington & P. Fuggle, 2012).

Bill showed a short video outlining the aims of AMBIT and the ways of working that characterise the approach.

Bill and Robin discussed the application of AMBIT within their respective areas of work, with reference to the Bevington & Fuggle article. Bill also provided an overview of AMBIT training he attended recently.

We discussed:

• AMBIT evidence-base and its origins • Application to practice across various settings, including application of ‘Thinking together’

exercise within teams • Potential challenges as a way of working – necessary for whole team training/buy-in? • AMBIT as a core concept within Trauma Informed Care/Practice • AMBIT resources – Anna Freud Centre (https://www.annafreud.org), Tiddly manuals

(https://manuals.annafreud.org) • Relative similarities and differences between AMBIT, DBT, MBT etc.

The discussion around the ‘Thinking together’ exercise developed further and Bill spoke about the challenges of working with complex cases where there may be a history of trauma and subsequent diagnoses of ID, ADHD, ASD etc. Bill introduced Delfos’ theory of Mental Age Spectrum – 1 person (MAS-1P) as a model for better conceptualising such cases (http://www.mdelfos.nl/monografieen/waw-r.htm).

Next FIT meet-up:

Thursday 18th October, 16.00-18.00

Open University Belfast Campus, 110 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 3GN.

Agenda:

• Frances Caldwell to provide an overview of EMDR.

• Bill Lockhart to present Community Connections paper for discussion

• Facilitation of ‘Thinking together’ exercise

Notes by Robin Jordan.

FIT is facilitated by BPS Division of Forensic Psychology, Northern Ireland Branch