Conference Agenda

This paper examines the integration of visual art therapy within the Lighthouse Parenting ‎Program, a Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) model designed for women ‎experiencing trauma-related symptoms. A central characteristic of the programme is its ‎structured use of sea- and lighthouse-based metaphors‏) ‏such as stormy seas, ‎scanning lighthouse beams, safe harbours ‎‏(‏‎ which serve as a shared symbolic ‎language that enables the externalization of internal states and supports the ‎development of reflective functioning.‎ The paper proposes visual artmaking as a parallel mentalizing modality within the MBT ‎framework. Creating personal visual representations of metaphors is argued to deepen ‎awareness of mentalizing breakdowns, assist in regulating emotional arousal, and ‎promote reparative, playful interactions within the group setting. This integration allows ‎therapists to tailor interventions to individual processes of dementalization and ‎recovery, particularly in contexts where verbal expression is compromised by trauma.‎ Situated within a context of collective stress, the paper demonstrates how MBT can be ‎adapted into a culturally sensitive, community-based intervention. Artistic expression ‎functions as a parallel language of mentalization, reactivating capacities for curiosity, ‎empathy, and relational repair in situations of emotional overload.‎ The paper will present selected artworks from a group of mothers whose adolescents ‎are psychiatrically hospitalized. It will trace the mental processes undergone by several ‎mothers as they developed reflective functioning through ongoing artistic creation ‎cantered on the images of the lighthouse, the safe harbour, and the arriving ships. The ‎shared dialogue around these artworks enabled the renewal and consolidation of ‎epistemic trust within the group, an experience participant subsequently carried into ‎their personal lives.‎

Theoretical background: Mentalization-based parenting interventions, such as the Lighthouse Parenting Programme (LPP), have shown promise in reducing parental stress and improving parent–child interactions across psychological contexts. Emotional stress is frequently expressed through bodily symptoms, which may interfere with parental reflective functioning and caregiving capacities. While mentalization difficulties have been discussed in relation to functional somatic symptoms, parenting interventions rarely address the interplay between emotional stress, somatic manifestations, and the parent–child relationship. Research question: This study examines the feasibility of adapting and implementing the LPP in a psychosomatic clinical setting for parents experiencing emotional stress with somatic manifestations. The primary aim is to assess feasibility in terms of adherence, acceptance, and satisfaction. Secondary aims include exploring preliminary changes in the parent–child relationship, parental stress, parental mentalizing ability, and psychological symptoms in parents and children. Method: A single-arm pre–post feasibility study was conducted with n = 22 parents receiving treatment at a psychosomatic clinic, each with at least one child aged 0–16 years and difficulties in the parent–child relationship. Feasibility outcomes (adherence, acceptance, satisfaction) were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVAs. Changes and associations in outcomes were explored using regression and correlation analyses. Results: Data collection is ongoing, with final analyses planned for February 2026. Preliminary findings indicate high levels of acceptance, adherence, and satisfaction among participating parents and the clinical treatment team. Conclusion: Initial results suggest that the adapted LPP is feasible for parents experiencing emotional stress with somatic manifestations. The programme may support parental reflection on how bodily symptoms and emotional stress influence the parent–child relationship, providing a foundation for a future randomised controlled trial.

Foster carers play a crucial role in providing stability and emotional containment for children with histories of trauma, loss, and disrupted attachment. Although carers’ capacity to mentalize is central to the quality and stability of foster placements, this capacity is often challenged by the high emotional demands of foster care and by caring for children with complex trauma and disrupted attachment histories. Strengthening carers’ mentalization, understanding of attachment, and awareness of their own attachment histories with their unique strengths and potential vulnerabilities, may support more sensitive responding and greater reflective caregiving under stress. This presentation describes the adaptation and initial implementation of the Lighthouse Parenting Program (LPP) for foster carers in Lithuania. The Lighthouse MBT Program (Byrne, 2016) is grounded in attachment theory and mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and aims to enhance caregivers’ ability to understand children’s behaviour in terms of underlying mental states, particularly in emotionally charged situations. The adaptation for foster carers placed increased emphasis on trauma, complex developmental histories, and placement instability, while retaining the program’s core principles and modules. The adaptation process was further informed by cultural and systemic features of foster care in Lithuania. The adapted LPP will be piloted with a small group of foster carers. Alongside implementation, qualitative and descriptive quantitative feedback data will be collected to explore participants’ experiences, perceived relevance, and acceptability of the LPP, as well as carers’ mentalization and psychological adjustment. The presentation will discuss lessons learned from the adaptation process, foster carers’ perspectives on the program, and implications for future implementation and research.

This single-case process study examines the trajectory of change in one parent, participating in the Lighthouse MBT-Parenting Programme, a mentalization-based intervention for parents in contexts of relational and psychosocial adversity. The study explores how representational risk and protective features change across the early, middle, and final phases of the programme, and how therapist interventions and psychoeducational material may contribute to reductions in risk to the child.

Transcript data from group and individual sessions were analysed chronologically across the intervention. The analysis integrated quantitative ratings of Reflective Functioning and Assessment of Representational Risk-informed risk ratings, blind-scored from selected sessions, with thematic analysis of narrative passages concerning representations of self, child, others, and risk.

The findings suggest that apparent increases in observed risk during the intervention may reflect greater disclosure and representational accuracy, rather than deterioration in underlying risk. As epistemic trust deepened, previously minimised or concealed difficulties became more visible, allowing risk to be understood in a fuller relational context. However, gains in mentalizing did not immediately translate into behavioural change, suggesting a lag between reflective capacity and parenting enactment.

This study highlights the importance of distinguishing between increased risk and increased visibility of risk in high-risk parenting interventions. It offers a process-based account of therapeutic change in which epistemic trust enables disclosure, supports mentalizing, and creates the conditions for more effective clinical intervention.