Description
Ineffective family communication patterns impact family relationships. When supporting ethnic
minorities families, additional barriers may exist such as lack of financial resources to pay for
counseling, cultural and religious beliefs about mental health, and language barriers which
creates a social justice concern. For professional and lay counselors or clergy who may be called
upon to support families, strengthening communication patterns within families is an
appropriate area of intervention. This workshop will present the Psychoeducation Attachment-
Based Communication (P.A.C.) model, a model of relational communication. The P.A.C. model
has evolved from workshops presented to Latino church congregations in the Maryland,
Virginia, and New Jersey areas and developed in response to needs identified by church leaders
in the Latino community. Attachment theory and a Bio-psycho-social-spiritual lens provide the
conceptual framework for this model. Attachment Theory provides counselors with an
extensively researched and well-documented theory which has application to understand
relational dynamics which impact communication patterns within families. The effectiveness of
the parent-child communication patterns is dependent upon the quality and patterns of
relational interaction. The Bio-psycho-social-spiritual lens is included to provide a conceptual
understanding of the whole child. The goal of P.A.C. is to provide tools that families can apply to
move towards effective communication patterns within the parent-child relationship. The
model consists of key principles based on the conceptual framework which provides the
foundation to this psychoeducational model. The P.A.C. is currently taught to parents during a
two-hour workshop. Additionally, the model is being expanded from a workshop format to a 6-
week parenting class format where the model can be presented with more time to explore
intervention strategies.
Presented by: Zoricelis Davilla, M.A. & Maureen Ponce, Ph.D. & Sallu Lau, Ph.D.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Explore the relationship between the Biopsychosocial-spiritual lens, Attachment theory, and communication
- Discuss foundational principles of effective communication using the Psychoeducation Attachment-Based Communication (P.A.C.) model
- Attendees will apply the principles of Psychoeducation Attachment-Based Communication (P.A.C.) model to facilitate effective family communication
