Research shows that children whose fathers are actively involved in their upbringing develop higher cognitive and social skills – performing well academically and as they grow older, enjoy stronger social connections with peers. The active, physical playing that fathers engage in with young children teaches them how to deal with aggressive impulses and physical contact in socially acceptable ways. This is the precursor to self-regulation and emotional resilience in adult life. While mothers provide secure attachment by their active nurturing and comforting presence; fathers provide the safety that allows for calculated risk-taking as well as boundary setting, helping children navigate a challenging world with confidence and a sense of security.

The father may be a physical presence but what if that role is fraught with emotional absence, criticism, over-involvement or boundary violations? How do these early relational wounds manifest later in life, impacting everything from intimacy to self-esteem? Therapists often encounter clients grappling with unresolved paternal dynamics—patterns of emotional detachment, fear of dependency, fear of intimacy in relationships, insecure attachment patterns in adult relationships or maintaining boundaries play over and over again in adult life. The therapeutic challenge lies in not just uncovering these issues, but in helping clients break free from entrenched, often destructive relational cycles.

In this dynamic seminar, Dr Gwen Adshead and Dr Jan McGregor Hepburn – two highly experienced speakers – will help you navigate the complex world of father-child relationships. Through real-life case studies and cutting-edge research, they will unpack how fractured paternal relationships cast a long shadow over adult emotional and relational lives. Whether it’s navigating the aftermath of a father who was emotionally absent or working through the difficulties of a controlling father who blurred boundaries – the therapeutic implications are profound and the solutions while far from quick and easy, do lead towards long-term healing, growth and finding closure.

How can therapists effectively guide clients stuck in destructive patterns that stem from early paternal dynamics? What tools and approaches are best suited for clients struggling with attachment, trust, and self-worth due to these fractured relationships? This seminar will equip you with the strategies and therapeutic insights to engage deeply with clients facing these complex, often resistant, patterns, giving you the tools to help them rebuild healthier relationships and a more resilient sense of self.

• Case Example 1: A client may struggle with emotional regulation and aggressive behaviours stemming from a childhood experience where their father enforced traditional gender roles rigidly. For example, the father expected the client, a son, to suppress emotions like sadness and vulnerability, viewing them as signs of weakness. These expectations led to emotional repression and difficulties in expressing feelings in adulthood.
• Case Example 2: A client, now in her late 40s, has a long history of sabotaging intimate relationships due to a childhood experience of a domineering and emotionally unpredictable father. Despite having successful professional and social relationships, she repeatedly finds herself in romantic relationships where she feels trapped, emotionally drained, and unable to assert her needs.
• Case Example 3: A father remarrying with children from both families may create tension and unresolved conflicts. Therapists will learn how to help clients navigate these dynamics and work towards a more harmonious family environment.

Using case vignettes and examples like these, we will explore:

• Understanding Paternal Functions in Development

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of what healthy and developmentally appropriate paternal functions are. The seminar will explore the significance of the paternal gaze — the crucial role fathers (or those in fathering roles) have in promoting a child’s sense of safety, autonomy, and emotional regulation. The absence or distortion of these functions can have lasting effects, including difficulties with authority, identity formation, and intimacy in adult relationships.

• Theoretical Insights into Fathering and Social Context

This session will address relevant theory about this stage of development and the possible consequences of the social context of fathering. We will review relevant theories on paternal attachment, including research on how fathers contribute to emotional and behavioural regulation in children. This section will also highlight how these dynamics might differ across gender lines, affecting sons and daughters in different and unique ways.

• Impact of the Critical, Absent, or Detached Father

Explore the particular effects of being in relation to the father who is critical, absent and/or in other ways detached. Clinicians often hear narratives of fathers who are emotionally cold, overbearing, or frightening. This seminar will examine how these dynamics can become internalised, affecting a person’s ability to form and sustain healthy adult relationships.

• Paternal Over-Involvement and Boundary Violations

For some, the primal fear of feeling that the father is too involved and is not able to keep proper boundaries can be just as psychologically damaging as an absent father. This module will explore the long-term effects of boundary violations, where a father’s inability to maintain appropriate boundaries can create confusion, fear, and hypervigilance in the child.

• Family Dynamics in Second Families

This seminar will also address the dynamics that the first family children may bring into the life of the new family. Often, children from a first family can struggle with feelings of displacement or resentment, while new partners may find themselves caught in complex dynamics with stepchildren. This module will explore how to therapeutically address the competing needs and boundaries in such families.

• Therapeutic Interventions for Stuck Patterns

Clinicians will learn a variety of therapeutic techniques to help clients trapped in entrenched and recurring relationship patterns that stem from harmful father-child dynamics. These patterns, which may involve low self-esteem, poor boundary-setting, and self-destructive behaviours, can be resistant to change. The seminar will provide clinicians with practical tools, including techniques from Attachment-focused therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Trauma-informed care. These tools will empower clinicians to help their clients break out of these destructive cycles, rebuild self-esteem, and foster healthier, more balanced relational dynamics.

This seminar is an essential opportunity for therapists looking to deepen their understanding of the profound effects of father-child dynamics on adult relationships. With a focus on both theoretical knowledge and hands-on therapeutic strategies, Dr Gwen Adshead and Dr Jan McGregor Hepburn offer insights you won’t find in textbooks. You’ll come away with a practical toolkit to help clients unravel deeply rooted relational patterns, heal unresolved emotional wounds, and build stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

Through this webinar, the participants will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the developmental functions of fathers and their impact on emotional regulation and autonomy
• Explore theories on paternal attachment and the social context of fathering, including gendered differences
• Understand the effects of critical, absent, or emotionally detached fathers on adult relational patterns
• Learn how paternal over-involvement and boundary violations can cause lasting psychological damage
• Address family dynamics in blended families and the challenges brought by children from previous relationships
• Acquire therapeutic tools to break entrenched patterns, rebuild self-esteem, and foster healthier relationships using attachment-focused and trauma-informed techniques

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the developmental functions of fathers and their impact on emotional regulation and autonomy
• Discuss theories on paternal attachment and the social context of fathering, including gendered differences
• Apply therapeutic tools to break entrenched patterns, rebuild self-esteem, and foster healthier relationships using attachment-focused and trauma-informed techniques

© nscience 2024 / 25