16-213b The Troubled Triangle: The Developmental Neurobiology of Addiction,
Attachment, and Trauma – 6 Hour Seminar
Kurt L. White, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., L.A.D.C., C.G.P.
Thursday, June 23, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Course Description
Addiction work is trauma work. Recent studies show that as much as 80% of co-occurring clients have histories
of trauma (often multiple episodes of trauma). Rates of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders are endemic to
addicted populations. Clinicians who see themselves as addiction specialists often feel uncomfortable with the
trauma related presentations in substance use disorders; conversely, many skilled trauma therapists have had
little training in addiction. This seminar aims to help both groups build the gap in both knowledge and the skills
for working with this complex population using new knowledge on the neurobiology of attachment. We will
examine the disruptions to healthy attachment patterns and how this predisposes individuals to develop
addiction in mid-late teen years. Early experiences alter gene expression and brain development: exposure to an
environment of disrupted attachment, persistent fear, trauma-related experiences, and exposure to substances all
have significant effects on the developing brain. This new science of attachment and neurobiology can be a
guide to effective treatment interventions with addicted individuals. Both theory and implications for technique
will be explored.
Faculty: Kurt White, L.I.C.S.W., L.A.D.C., C.G.P. -- is the Director of Ambulatory Services at the
Brattleboro Retreat in Brattleboro, VT, and is a social worker and drug and alcohol counselor by trade and
training. He presently currently serves as president of the Vermont Association of Addiction Treatment
Professionals (VAATP), which represents addiction treatment agencies in Vermont. Kurt is adjunct assistant
professor at Smith College School for Social Work, where he teaches Group Theory and Practice. He is also
adjunct faculty at Antioch New England Graduate School, where teaches in the Applied Psychology program.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe three ways in which normal brain development is disrupted by trauma
2. Apply and understanding of attachment as a core concept in development, and ways that trauma disrupts normal
attachment patterns
3. Discuss how brain development affects the emergence of substance use disorders, including in cases where trauma is
present
4. Apply knowledge of attachment and development to working with clients who have addiction and/or histories of
trauma
Bibliography
• Badenoch, B. (2008). Becoming a Brain-Wise Therapist: A Practical Guide To Interpersonal
Neurobiology. New York: WW Norton & Co.
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). The Science of Early Childhood
Development: closing the gap between what we know and what we do. Retrieved from
www.developingchild.harvard.edu
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic
Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11.
Retrieved fromwww.developingchild.harvard.edu
• Flores, P J (2004). Addiction as an Attachment Disorder. New York: Jason Aronson, Inc.
• National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2006). Early Exposure to Toxic Substances
Damages Brain Architecture: Working Paper No. 4. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu