Registered Clinical Members Application and Renewal Forms

Application Instructions

In 2001 ATTACh initiated a registration process for clinicians and agencies. The purpose of the registry is to:

●  provide more credibility to the term “attachment therapist,”

●  provide more credibility to your knowledge and attachment training (see information regarding required training hours below)

●  give parents and other professionals access to names of potential treatment agencies and clinicians

●  allow parents and other professionals to contact you directly

●  supply you with a support and communication network to exchange information and/or ideas

ATTACh believes that psychotherapy in general, and specialized attachment-focused therapy, in particular, requires a combination of a degree (ie., social work, psychology, counseling, marriage and family therapy or equivalent) that allows the clinician to practice in the jurisdiction in which they provide services, provides training in theories of human development and treatment approaches, coupled with supervised practice under the direction of an experienced and skilled clinician.  To obtain registered status with ATTACh a clinician or clinic must be able to prove current clinical licensure (or equivalent in foreign countries; or sanction by a governmental entity that the person or clinic is legally able to practice within the jurisdiction), a minimum of 80 hours of clinical training in attachment, trauma, or related fields beyond the degree, supervision by clinician skilled in attachment-focused treatment, and possession of professional liability insurance.  An applicant must also agree, in writing, to abide by ATTACh's policy and procedures as outlined in the White Paper on Coercive Treatment and Attachment-Focused Therapy: A Professional Practice Guide and other relevant ATTACh policies and documents.

As of July 1, 2002 only Registered members of ATTACh have been given as resources to inquiries for clinical services. In an effort to assist families and workers to make informed decisions, ATTACh will print your registration information on our website; and mail out this same information to those who make inquiries. If you wish to be part of ATTACh's resource listing of Registered clinicians and agencies, please submit the following documents. Requirements are subject to change. Please check the website prior to and during the application process.

Registering clinicians in private practice must submit the complete packet of information.  Registering agencies must submit the complete packet of information about all qualified staff who will be working with attachment clients, identifying the lead clinician.  Those applying will be considered to have regular clinical status until the application has been approved.  Additional documentation may be requested by the committee during the review process.  Each application will be considered individually.

Entire Registration Packet Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Registered Clinician Application Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Registration Agreements Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Techniques Checklist Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Qualifications of Staff Form Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Malpractice Questionnaire Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Disciplinary Disclosure Statement Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Annual Attestation Microsoft Word Adobe PDF

Yearly Renewal

A registered member must submit necessary changes, corrections, additions, and deletions to their protocol annually, if applicable, along with membership fee, Membership Renewal Form, a copy of their license (for each clinician, if a registered agency), a copy of their malpractice insurance (for each clinician, if registered agency does not cover all clinicians) and a signed Attestation Form (for each clinician, if a registered agency) to maintain registered status. 10 annual CE Credits are required for each registered clinician and each clinician in a registered agency. Although copies of CE credits are not required until the 3-Year Review, sending them would be helpful.

3-Year Renewal

A full registration packet must be submitted every three years to maintain registered status. Please download the complete Registration Packet from the link above. A total of 30 CE Credits are required for each registered clinician and each clinician in a registered agency. Photocopies of credits earned must be presented along with the renewal application.

Complaints & Appeals

Applicants who wish to appeal the Registration Review Committee's decision may appeal to the Executive Committee of the ATTACh Board of Directors.  The appeal must be in writing and explain the basis for the appeal and the reason the applicant believes that an incorrect decision and conclusion was reached.  All appeals must be received in writing at the ATTACh office within 60 (sixty) days of the date of notification to the applicant of the Committee's decision. 

The Executive Committee will review all materials used by the Registration Review Committee as well as all materials submitted by the applicant in support of the appeal, and will render a decision within ninety days after all materials have been received and all relevant questions have been responded to by those involved. 

Required Clinical Training

The purpose of Continuing Education requirements for registration is to support the clinicians work and status as having expertise in attachment focused treatment. In addition, the CE requirements to maintain status as a Registered Clinician/Agency is to provide some assurance that the clinician is staying current on developing trends, approaches, methods, and material related to trauma and attachment-focused treatment. Continuing Education for recertification should be related to trauma and attachment focused treatment. It should advance the clinician’s expertise and competency in providing services to families. This can help families feel more confident that when they are seeing a Registered Clinician, she or he is keeping current on important developments in the field.

Another element of this requirement is that all of the various mental health professions, as part of their ethical code, require some continuing education to maintain competency. What these codes of ethics typically require is that a professional stay current on developing trends and practices and only practice within the scope of their training and expertise.

So, what would be considered relevant? ATTACh frequently receives calls asking about workshops, conferences and other trainings, and their relevancy to certification or recertification. The CE requirements can be met in a variety of ways. There are many good on-line courses, webinars, web-based/video conferencing, and even some home-study courses in addition to the usual in-person training opportunities. For example, the NCTSN offers many free on-line presentations that are quite relevant to our work. ATTACh itself is developing several opportunities for clinicians to get CEs. At the extremes, it is obvious what is and is not relevant. For example, a class in neurofeedback on child trauma would clearly be relevant while a class in neurofeedback on TBI among the elderly would probably not be relevant. A workshop on EMDR and trauma treatment with children would be relevant. A workshop on the legal requirements for mandated reporters may not be relevant if it is primarily an administrative-type presentation (who reports and how to make a report), but may be relevant if it is clinically focused. A workshop on proper coding of the HCFA-1500 would not be relevant. The words “attachment” and “trauma” do not necessarily need to be in the title. But the content must clearly be directly related to the work we do.

Questions about a specific workshop or curriculum can be sent to the Chair of the Registration Review Committee.

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ATTACh
P.O. Box 533
40 Cleveland
Lake Villa, IL 60046
Phone 866-453-8224
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Copyright © 2010 ATTACh (Association for Treatment & Training in the Attachment of Children)