Mentalization-Based Treatment for Adolescents (MBT-A) Training
Date:
March 19 - 21, 2026
Place:
UCLA Luskin Conference Center, 425 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Mentalization-Based Treatment for Adolescents (MBT-A) is a treatment approach for working with adolescents presenting with a wide range of mental health needs including interpersonal difficulties, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and self-harm. Our training provides a practical introduction to the key elements of MBT-A, empowering participants to apply this model effectively in clinical settings. Gain insights into the complexities of working with adolescents, understand the pivotal role of mentalizing in relationships, and learn strategies for self-esteem, affect regulation, and impulse control.
MBT-A combines individual weekly sessions for adolescents along with Mentalization-based family therapy sessions (MBT-F) and aims to enhance an adolescent’s capacity to represent their own and others’ feelings accurately and in emotionally challenging situations. MBT-A has been shown to be effective in reducing self-harm and depressive symptoms in adolescents (Rossouw & Fonagy, P. 2012).
The MBT-A training is based on the following text: Mentalization Based Treatment for Adolescents A Practical Treatment Guide, Edited By Rossouw, T., Wiwe,M., Vrouva,I. (2021) Routledge.