contents of the workshop Children are dependent on their parents for their development of emotion regulation and feelings of security. The way in which parents regulate their own emotions and approach their child determines to a large extent the quality of the attachment relationship that the child develops. In case parents themselves are psychologically ill, traumatized or insecurely attached, their capacity to contain their own emotions and those of their child is significantly diminished. Parents can be threatening or can be so scared themselves that their child becomes anxious because of them which can accumulate into child abuse and neglect. Depending on its severity, disturbances in neuro-endocrine metabolism and the resilience of the child, the child may become traumatized and/or develop a disorganized or insecure attachment relationship. The assessment of the child is dependent upon its age and state of development, also with regard to attachment and trauma. Parents and children can benefit from the implementation of knowledge about attachment and trauma. Structural assessment of attachment and trauma is still not practiced widely in psychiatric practice even though instruments are available and the need for diagnostics and treatment is there. This workshop tries to fill the gap in knowledge about the use of assessment instruments.
format The concepts of attachment and trauma, their interaction as well as the available diagnostic instruments and their use will be explained. Using an interactive powerpoint presentation with videos and statements, discussion about the implementation of attachment and trauma assessment in psychiatry will be stimulated.
aim At the end of the session the participant will have gained useful knowledge about the concepts of  attachment and trauma and how to implement these in their own psychiatric practice.