The AAP training and certification program makes the AAP available to a range of researchers and clinical professionals who wish to integrate valid adult attachment assessment into their work. Training and certification are needed in order to administer and score the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System. View the AAP training schedule and locations for additional information. Trainings in non-English languages are specified.
The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System© training seminar is an 8-day intensive workshop on the AAP. Day 1 of the workshop teaches the administration of the AAP. Days 2-4 introduce and the AAP coding system. Days 4-8 concentrate on classification and discussion of single cases. Training registration fees include the seminar, all training materials, a set of practice cases, and reliability training for 1 year following training. Continuing education credit is available in some trainings – check the training schedule for details. All trainings are currently in English, with plans in place to provide trainings in German and Italian. The names of certified judges are provided following training for individuals who do not plan to code and classify their own AAPs.
Who Should Attend?
Mental health professionals and graduate students (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers) that have some background in attachment theory (e.g., graduate course, background in the Strange Situation, AAI).
What Background in Attachment Theory and Research is Required?
Participants must have some familiarity with attachment theory in order to attend the training seminar. Individuals who do not have the required background should plan to attend a pre-training workshop, attend training in any other attachment assessment (e.g., Strange Situation, Adult Attachment Interview), or have studied attachment at the graduate level. Questions about background preparation should be sent to Carol George, Ph.D. A 2-day pre-training workshop is typically provided prior to the AAP training seminar for individuals who do not have sufficient background. All attendees are invited to attend pre-training workshops.
How Do I Get Certification to be an AAP Judge?
Individuals who attend the training seminar are eligible for certification as an AAP judge. Certified judges must complete reliability with at least an 80% success rate on a standardized set of AAP cases. The practice case set is provided following training to gain more experience prior to embarking on the reliability process. The average length of time to reach reliability certification is 1 year, although a significant number of trainees that began reliability immediately following training have achieved certification in 3 months. Reliability is done on an individual basis at the pace of the trainee. The reliability period included in the registration fee extends for 1 year following training. For more information about certification, please email questions to Carol George, Ph.D.
What are the Training Costs and How Do I Register?
Contact Carol George, Ph.D. for more information about training costs, housing (if traveling from out of town), and a registration form. Registration discounts are provided for early registrants, graduate students, and groups of 5 or more from a site.
What Colleagues are Saying About the AAP
“The AAP provides information that other tests do not — about clients’ probable attachment histories, attachment defenses, and capacity to engage in close, protective relationships. The information we get from the AAP is not just useful in conceptualizing clients; it often helps them develop more compassion for themselves.” – Stephen Finn, Ph.D., Founder of the Center for Therapeutic Assessment, Austin, TX
“The AAP workshop was the best workshop I have ever attended. The professionalism and the depth of knowledge of the presenters was truly impressive, as was their dedication to helping the participants learn the AAP. The material I learned in the course has also helped me to listen to my patients in yet another way, different from the empathic attunement to the content of their narratives and the implications of the narratives. ” – Leonard Handler, Ph.D., University of Tennessee
“I find the information from the AAP to be tremendously useful for the professionals involved in working with adolescents. Many parents and foster parents only see the problem behaviors, and having a more contextualized understanding of the function of behavior can help them become more compassionate and flexible in their reactions and interactions.” – Linda Webster, Ph.D., University of the Pacific, CA
Training Schedule and Locations
February/March, 2012, Innsbruck, Austria – German language
- Early registration deadline – January 15, 2012
- Pretraining workshop – February 29-March 1, 2012
- AAP Training Seminar – March 2-10, 2012
- Contact Dr. Anna Buchheim for information and registration – Anna.Buchheim@uibk.ac.at
May 2012, Stockholm, Sweden – English language
- Pretraining intensive workshop – May 21-23, 2012
- Contact Dr. Lena Lillieroth for information and registration – lena.lillieroth@sll.se
July 21-31, 2012 Oakland, CA – English language
- Early registration deadline – May 31, 2012
- Pretraining workshop – July 21-22
- AAP Training Seminar – July 23-31
- Continuing Education Credit co-sponsored by the Society for Personality Assessment
January 10-20, 2013, Padua, Italy- English language
- Early registration deadline – November 30, 2012
- Pretraining workshop, January 10-11, 2013
- AAP training seminar, January 13-20, 2013