ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
In adoption a child impacted by separation of their parents or a child impacted by serious relational disruption can face abandonment issues in a compounded way. This presentation will describe clinical work with an older adolescent and a pre- adolescent, working through the current identity concerns and revisiting the adoption experience.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will learn:

1. to identify issues of abandonment in the frame of adoption;
2. recognize how an identity based on false self can contribute to persecutory guilt and self- harm;
3. consider the importance of ‘being seen’ by the therapist in a holding environment over time creates a transitional space where development can continue as hoped;
4. Identify how attachment and systemic (family) thinking contributes to the work.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Michael Blugerman is a past-president of CAPCT, former president of ATTACh: Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children, Executive Director of Children’s Resource and Consultation Centre of Ontario. In this agency and private practice, Michael has been involved with work in adoption and attachment issues with children and more recently in the area of infant mental health.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
These continuing education and professional development hours can be used towards your continuing education, professional development portfolio for your respective colleges, including the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

Please Note: Open only to CAPCT members. Registration is FREE.