Adaptive Mentalization-Based Integrative Treatment

Adaptive mentalization-based integrative treatment (AMBIT) is an adaptation, by Dickon Bevington, Peter Fuggle, Liz Cracknell, Peter Fonagy, Eia Asen, Mary Target, Neil Dawson and Rabia Malik, of the theory of mentalization and the practices of mentalization-based treatment, built to address the needs of chaotic, complex and multiply comorbid youth through team-based, predominantly outreach, multimodal practices. Previously called "adolescent mentalization-based integrative treatment," it was renamed to "adaptive" in recognition that it is now used by teams across the UK and internationally working with populations beyond the adolescent age range, including adults with severe and enduring relational difficulties and families with children where there are safeguarding concerns. Adaptation is central to AMBIT itself: local teams are encouraged to adapt, build upon and share adaptations to its core components, and the approach aspires to be an open-source model of therapy innovation, shaped by an eightfold principled therapeutic stance that uses mentalization as its integrating framework across the worker's relationship with the young person and family, with colleagues and the team, and with the wider multi-agency network.