Nicole Muller

Mentalizing Based Treatment with Children (MBT-C) is a model for working with children in the latency years (ages 4-12) and their parents. MBT-C is a psychoanalytic integrative approach that combines psychodynamic principles with findings from attachment and affect regulation theory, systemic family therapy and empirical research. MBT-C is transdiagnostic and suitable for addressing a range of problems, including emotional and behavioral problems, anxiety, trauma, depression and attachment problems.

MBT-A is a treatment approach for working with adolescents with a wide range of interpersonal problems, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity and self-harm. MBT-A combines individual weekly sessions for adolescents with mentalizing-enhancing family therapy sessions (MBT-F) and/or MBT-A group therapy. The approach aims to increase adolescents' ability to continue to experience and represent their own and others' feelings and thoughts accurately and in emotionally challenging situations. MBT-A has been scientifically proven effective in reducing self-harm and depressive symptoms in adolescents (Rossouw & Fonagy 2012).

MBT-F is a systemic treatment aimed at (re)starting mentalizing within families and partner relationships. This improves the quality of mutual relationships. The basis lies in the explicit or implicit feeling of psychological connection with another person, which allows family members to feel seen, understood and loved. It strengthens mutual trust and enables the family to find solutions to life problems (empowerment) on their own (again). MBT-F is an integrative approach that brings together psychodynamic principles, systemic theory, CBT practices and a social ecological framework to understand and support families. It is a flexible and time-limited approach, to be used in a variety of settings with families experiencing difficulties such as emotional and behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, relational problems and family conflict.

MBT-F is a systemic treatment aimed at (re)starting mentalizing within families and partner relationships. This improves the quality of mutual relationships. The basis lies in the explicit or implicit feeling of psychological connection with another person, which allows family members to feel seen, understood and loved. It strengthens mutual trust and enables the family to find solutions to life problems (empowerment) on their own (again). MBT-F is an integrative approach that brings together psychodynamic principles, systemic theory, CBT practices and a social ecological framework to understand and support families. It is a flexible and time-limited approach, to be used in a variety of settings with families experiencing difficulties such as emotional and behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, relational problems and family conflict.

MBT-C and Trauma focuses on children who have had long-term exposure to relational trauma such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence and emotional neglect, sometimes in conjunction with adoption or placement in foster care.