Attachment Therapy with the "Three Pillars Approach" in Germany
Three Pillars Approach
The Training in the United States
The Three Pillars Method was developed by Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott under the name “Integrative Attachment Therapy” and is taught by Dr. David Elliott and his colleagues. The program is available partly online and partly on-site in the United States and is structured into Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
David Elliott, together with Stefan Passvogel, also offers training in Integrative Attachment Therapy, or the "Three Pillars Method," in Germany.


"Three Pillars Method" in Germany
The Training in Germany
Our institute teaches the "Three Pillars Method" based on the original concepts of Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott, adapted to European culture.
Our thanks go to Dr. Daniel P. Brown, Dr. David Elliott, and the other co-developers of the method at Harvard Medical School, with whom we have studied the method and continue to collaborate.
PhD., David Elliott
Dr. Elliott earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1989. During his training at Harvard, he completed an external practicum at the Tufts University Counseling Center and an internship in clinical psychology at McLean Hospital, the psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital, focusing on the hospital's Department of Youth and Family Therapy. In 1990, he was licensed as a psychologist in Massachusetts and in Rhode Island in 1993.
Dr. Elliott has held leadership roles in several professional organizations. He served as President of the Rhode Island Psychological Association for two years and was, prior to that, Chair of the Coalition of Mental Health Professionals of Rhode Island (COMHPRI) for two years. Both organizations advocate for the availability and broad access to high-quality, affordable psychosocial services.
Since 1998, Dr. Elliott has been a faculty member at the International School for Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Group Leadership in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he teaches annually. He currently chairs the international advisory board of this program. Additionally, he is on the faculty of the Psykosyntes Akademin (Psychosynthesis Academy) in Stockholm, Sweden, where he teaches advanced students about attachment and psychotherapy.

M.Sc.Psych. Stefan Passvogel
I studied psychology at the University of Tübingen and am currently undergoing advanced training at the ZIST Academy for Psychotherapy. I have the honor of introducing the "Three Pillars Approach" to Germany as a teaching psychotherapist. I am under constant supervision with Ph.D. David Elliott, a co-developer of the method, and previously learned the approach with Ph.D. Daniel P. Brown.
My work with the "Three Pillars Method" is grounded in my experience as a long-time meditator, hypnotherapist, and psychodynamic therapist. In 2022, I presented the IPF protocol for the first time at the MEG Annual Conference to an audience of 130 enthusiastic colleagues. Since then, I have been conducting trainings there in the treatment of attachment disorders with hypnotherapy.
I completed my first training in NLP & hypnotherapy in 2012. In 2014, I finished the training at the Milton Erickson Society and have since represented them at pbp conferences, where I serve as both a speaker and workshop leader.
