Date: Tuesday, June 2, and Thursday June 4, 2020 (Friday, June 5 in Australia/Asia)
Length: 60 minutes
Price: Free
Host/Facilitator: Session A (recorded) is hosted by Melanie Gill. In session B, we will replay a portion of the session A recording and invite discussion from session participants.
RSVP: required, meeting is open to everyone
Platform: Zoom meeting
Sponsor: Conflict Science Institute
Session A: (EU/US): Tuesday, June 2, 2020, 9:00 a.m. Seattle (UTC -7) (12 noon Miami, and 5:00 p.m. London time.)
Session B (Aus/Asia/US/EU): Thursday June 4, 2020, 2:00 p.m. Seattle time (5:00 p.m. Miami, 10:00 p.m. London, and (in Australian/Thailand/China on Friday June 5) at 9:00 a.m. in Auckland, 7:00 a.m. in Sydney, 5:00 a.m. in Perth/China, and 4:00 a.m. in Bangkok.
Multiple sessions: Each session will be unique, please join both!
How do personality disorders and the concepts they describe relate to classifications in the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM)? DMM-based-studies have looked at Borderline Personality Disorder, Eating Disorders and Avoidant Personality Disorder, as well as depression. In this session, Melanie Gill will discuss narcissism in terms of the DMM and then facilitate a discussion. (CSI recommends session participants read Dr. Patricia Crittenden’s Personality Disorders PowerPoint* before the session. Information and link below.)
Melanie Gill has spent a good bit of effort looking at narcissistic behaviors in terms of DMM-attachment classification patterns, and how those uniquely drive problems in family systems. She describes two primary narcissistic parents in DMM classification terms, and will show how each pattern uniquely affects children. Similar to the BPD-DMM correlation, Melanie describes narcissistic patterns as complex and high A-C mixtures with modifiers.
While Melanie doesn’t have formal scientific findings, she has been applying her theory in her forensic work as a courtroom parenting evaluator, and will share the significance of her findings.
One of the sometimes difficult DMM topics is distinguishing A-like vs C-like anger presentation. Because Melanie sees narcissistic behaviors as involving high A strategies with aggressive expressions, she will also touch on what A-like anger can look like in a clinical setting. Melanie’s work involves cases where parental alienation can be intense. She may touch on alienation cases in this session, but will focus on parental alienation with Chip Chimera in a follow up DMM Coffee House session.
Melanie Gill is a British psychologist trained in multiple scientific DMM attachment assessments. She is a member of the U.K. Academy of Experts, and is the Executive Director and Head of Assessments at the Family Attachment Consultancy where she primarily conducts family forensic evaluations for court matters. She uses the DMM and a wide variety of other methodologies to formulate a systemic understanding of family needs to support treatment and family healing recommendations.
Please note, Ms. Gill will be talking about narcissism, not Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as described in the DSM and ICD models of psychological disorder.
* See the PowerPoint presentation at https://familyrelationsinstitute.org/materials/publications/ for an overview of the DMM and personality disorder comparison studies. The PowerPoint describes the different presentations of depression in A and C-oriented strategies and considers unresolved trauma in terms of personality disorder. It summarizes three DMM-based studies which compared adult DMM-AAI’s with DSM eating disorders, Avoidant Personality Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder, and also considers them in terms of psychosis vs. personality disorder. DMM-AAI classification findings are summarized in the PowerPoint. CSI recommends participants to this DMM Coffee House review the PowerPoint prior to the session, especially the segment on BPD.
The direct PowerPoint link is available here, https://familyrelationsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/personality_disorders.pdf
The link is also available in the bottom section of the Family Relations Institute publications page here https://familyrelationsinstitute.org/materials/publications/
Upcoming DMM Coffee House sessions
June 9 and 11, Autism in children and the family system, an overview and reference to two DMM/autism papers (cites and links below). By Ben Grey with follow up discussion. We will experiment with recording Ben’s session and replaying it in the second session. Ben will cover two studies authored in part by Rudi Dallos which examine the SAFE intervention, developed in part with Attachment Narrative Therapy.
June 16 and 18, The DMM as reflected in the arts and politics, with Melanie Langer, who will reference episodes and clips from the show Mad Men. She recommends you watch at least the first episode before the session, and she invites you to share your own examples from a movie, book, song, or prime minister, for the follow up discussion.
Parental alienation from a DMM-attachment perspective with Melanie Gill and Chip Chimera. To be scheduled
Anger: what is the difference between A-like and C-like anger in DMM terms? with Mike Blows. To be scheduled.
Unique DMM-informed techniques for working with clients, hosted by Mark Baumann. To be scheduled.
Using the DMM to better understand and communicate with clients: A DMM beginners guide, with Mark Baumann. Scheduled for small group sessions upon request.
Please contact us if you would like to host a DMM Coffee House session.