In this workshop, we’ll explore how to respond therapeutically when working with a client who is struggling with symptoms related to Transgenerational Affect Phobia, when avoidance of emotion results in a pattern of anxiety and destructive behaviors passed on from generation to generation. In families suffering with transgenerational trauma, most emotions are forbidden and children frequently become the ‘identified patient’ due to their acting-out behaviors. Clinicians are faced with the impossible task to ‘fix the problem,’ but are rarely given the opportunity to get to the ‘root of the problem’ by working with the whole family. This workshop will use video segments of psychotherapy sessions to illustrate how to identify, assess and treat a Transgenerational Affect Phobia. You’ll learn how to assess your client’s symptoms and create a hypothesis that guides treatment. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of family dynamics and learn how to resolve a Transgenerational Affect Phobia through the use of exposure and desensitization. Whether you are working with an individual or a whole family, you’ll receive tools to apply in your practice that will help your ‘identified patient’ experience less anxiety, let go of destructive defenses and access adaptive affect and associated healthy behaviors.