About this Event
One-Day Attachment-Based ISTDP Therapy Immersion
Practical skills training for therapists working with anxiety, defences and emotional avoidance
Join ISTDP-North for a practical, clinically focused one-day immersion in Attachment-Based Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, led by Dr Javier Malda Castillo, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Founder and Clinical Director of ISTDP-North, and an IEDTA-certified ISTDP teacher and supervisor.
This in-person training offers a structured introduction to key ISTDP principles, with a strong emphasis on how these ideas translate into the live clinical moment. The day is designed for therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists and mental health professionals who want to strengthen their ability to recognise anxiety, identify defences, maintain therapeutic focus and support emotional engagement safely.
Rather than offering a purely theoretical overview, this workshop will focus on what therapists can observe, track and do in the room. Participants will be introduced to practical ways of understanding how anxiety, attachment patterns, emotional avoidance and unconscious defences can shape the therapeutic encounter, particularly when working with complex or fragile presentations.
Throughout the day, teaching will be supported by clinical examples, guided discussion and structured exercises. The aim is to help participants develop greater clarity and confidence in moment-to-moment clinical decision-making.
What the day will focus on
The training will help participants develop a practical understanding of how ISTDP can be applied in everyday clinical work. Particular attention will be given to recognising patient responses as they emerge in session, and learning how to respond in ways that increase emotional contact while maintaining safety and therapeutic alliance.
The day will explore:
- how attachment experiences can contribute to anxiety, emotional avoidance and defensive patterns
- how to recognise different anxiety pathways and understand what they indicate clinically
- how defences appear in the room, including intellectualisation, distancing, compliance, vagueness, passivity, self-criticism and avoidance of feeling
- how to work with anxiety and defences without becoming confrontational or overwhelming
- how to build emotional engagement gradually and safely
- how to maintain therapeutic focus when sessions become complex, diffuse or emotionally charged
- how ISTDP principles can be adapted for clients with fragility, trauma histories or complex presentations
- how to make clearer clinical decisions in the moment, based on what the patient is showing you
A practical and experiential day
This immersion is designed to be active and clinically relevant. Participants will not simply learn about ISTDP concepts; they will be invited to think about how these concepts apply to real therapeutic encounters.
The day will include:
- clear teaching on core attachment-based ISTDP principles
- clinical illustrations of anxiety, defences and emotional mobilisation
- opportunities to practise observation and formulation skills
- structured exercises to support skill development
- discussion of common clinical dilemmas
- space to consider how ISTDP can inform participants’ existing therapeutic approach
The focus will be on developing skills that can be used immediately in clinical practice, whether participants work primarily within psychodynamic, integrative, CBT-informed, humanistic, systemic or other therapeutic models.
Who this training is for
This workshop is suitable for clinicians who are new to ISTDP, as well as those with some prior exposure who want to consolidate their understanding and deepen their clinical skills.
It is particularly relevant for practitioners working with:
- anxiety and emotional avoidance
- trauma and attachment difficulties
- relational and interpersonal problems
- depression linked to blocked or avoided feelings
- personality disorder presentations
- complex, high-risk or fragile clinical presentations
- clients who intellectualise, disconnect, comply, avoid or become overwhelmed in therapy
What participants can expect to take away
By the end of the day, participants will have a clearer understanding of how attachment-based ISTDP helps clinicians track anxiety, defences and emotional engagement in the session.
Participants can expect to leave with:
- a clearer framework for understanding emotional avoidance
- improved ability to recognise anxiety signals in the body
- greater confidence identifying defences as they arise
- practical ways to support emotional engagement safely
- a better understanding of how to pace therapeutic work with fragile or complex clients
- increased confidence in maintaining focus during challenging sessions
- a sense of whether further ISTDP training, including Pre-Core or Core Training, may be right for them
Suitable as
This training can be taken as:
- a standalone one-day ISTDP intensive workshop
- an introduction to attachment-based ISTDP practice
- a practical skills refresher for clinicians already familiar with ISTDP
- preparation for ISTDP-North’s Pre-Core and Core Training pathways
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Beyond Barriers Emotional Health & Trauma services, 23 Shaw's Road, Altrincham, United Kingdom
GBP 96.10 to GBP 191.71
