Therapist responsiveness in attachment-based family therapy for sexual and gender minority adults and their nonaccepting parents

This chapter describes the nature and importance of therapist responsiveness in attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) for sexual and gender minority young adults and their nonaccepting parents. ABFT is a family-based, manualized, experiential, and emotion-and relationship-focused treatment designed for families in which parents have difficulty accepting their adult child's sexual orientation or gender identity. The chapter presents a brief overview of ABFT. It uses clinical vignettes to illustrate how therapists respond appropriately to common clinical challenges. The chapter presents results from research on family therapy in general, and ABFT in particular, related to therapist responsiveness. It describes how one train and supervise therapists to apply ABFT in a responsive manner. The chapter presents a number of examples illustrating common challenges in ABFT. It also discusses how therapists respond appropriately in the context of the specific treatment task at hand. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)