Attachment and Adult Clinical Practice


Book Description

This comprehensive volume addresses attachment theory’s history as well as its integration with neurobiology, psychophysiology, theories of emotion, regulation theory, and mentalization theory. It explores how clinicians can connect with their clients so that they feel completely seen and heard. Attachment theory speaks to one’s biological drive to connect, to relate, and to feel heard. The author aims to achieve this by condensing the enormous and diverse literature of the field into a singular, manageable work that clinicians can use to foster these connections. The book traces the history of attachment theory and describes how neurobiological research has influenced the expansion of attachment theory, and how emotions and psychophysiology have become critical to our understanding of human attachment connections. It concludes with a detailed examination of how to apply these theories in clinical practice. This practical book addresses attachment theory’s take on integrating the mind, body, and emotion when striving toward well-being. It will be of great importance for psychotherapy students, beginning therapists, and experienced clinicians with an interest in attachment theory.




Attachment Theory in Adult Mental Health


Book Description

In the fifty years since its inception, John Bowlby’s attachment theory has been powerfully influential on developmental psychology and, more recently, mental health. Bringing together the experience of a diverse range of mental health practitioners and researchers who routinely use attachment theory in their own work, Attachment Theory in Adult Mental Health provides a guide to using attachment theory in everyday practice. Adam N. Danquah and Katherine Berry present a wide-ranging and practical approach to the topic which includes studies on clinical practice, the provision of mental health services and accommodating intercultural perspectives. Section One covers the basics of attachment theory and practice. Section Two presents clinical problems and presentations including, among others, the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, personality disorder and eating disorders. Section Three addresses the needs of specific populations, discussing the influence of sociocultural factors like gender, ethnicity and age. Finally, Section Four examines the organisation and the practitioner, including using the theory to organise services and how individual therapists can integrate their own attachment histories into their approach. Including the most up-to-date theories and practice in the field, Attachment Theory in Adult Mental Health is ideal for psychologists and psychological therapists, counsellors, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers and mental health service managers and commissioners.




Attachment Theory and Research in Clinical Work with Adults


Book Description

Written with the practicing psychotherapist in mind, this invaluable book presents cutting-edge knowledge on adult attachment and explores the implications for day-to-day clinical practice. Leading experts illustrate how theory and research in this dynamic area can inform assessment, case formulation, and clinical decision making. The book puts such concepts as the secure base, mentalization, and attachment styles in a new light by focusing on their utility for understanding the therapeutic relationship and processes of change. It offers recommendations for incorporating attachment ideas and tools into specific treatment approaches, with separate chapters on psychoanalytic, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, and emotionally focused therapies.




Attachment in Adults


Book Description

Reflecting the emerging understanding of the significance of attachment in adult life, contributions in this volume cover recent research on the fundamentals of human life, including courtship and marriage; the determinants of resilience and of depression; and the vulnerability of some to suicidal ideation and action. Together, these chapters illuminate the contribution of early and current attachment to psychopathology in adults, the application of research findings to therapeutic interventions, and the physiological substructure of attachment in adults and children. This book will be of value to psychologists, psychotherapists, psychotherapy researchers, and other mental health practitioners working with adult attachment issues.




Clinical Applications of the Adult Attachment Interview


Book Description

The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is both a mainstay of attachment research and a powerful clinical tool. This unique book provides a thorough introduction to the AAI and its use as an adjunct to a range of therapeutic approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, parent-infant psychotherapy, home visiting programs, and supportive work in the context of foster care and adoption. Leading authorities provide detailed descriptions of clinical procedures and techniques, illustrated with vivid case material. Grounded in research, the volume highlights how using the AAI can enhance assessment and diagnosis, strengthen the therapeutic alliance, and facilitate goal setting, treatment planning, and progress monitoring.




Patterns of Relating


Book Description

The process of emotional attachment, a critical factor in infant and child development, is now recognized as an important component of satisfying adult relationships. Building on the research and theories of developmental psychologists, ethologists, and social scientists, this ground'breaking book describes the characteristics and role of attachment in the adult years and presents new perspectives for understanding and changing an adult's ability to form life'enhancing personal relationships. Chapters provide methods for applying ideas about adult attachments to social research and clinical intervention, defining attachment for adults with supporting research and clinical evidence, explicating the varieties of attachment patterns for adults, and for demonstrating the clinical and therapeutic relevance of these constructs. This book is aimed at developmental psychologists, clinicians, and social scientists in psychiatry, psychology, and related mental health disciplines. Also an appropriate text for theoretical and clinical courses in psychiatry, psychology, and social work.




Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work


Book Description

The applicability of attachment theory and research to social work and social policy relating to infants and children is well-established. Yet, its usefulness for enhancing the understanding of adults and their needs, both individually and as a group, has been less featured in the attachment literature. Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work Practice is a wide-ranging look at attachment theory and research, its application to adults, and its natural fit with the social work profession. This edited volume covers the applicability of adult attachment theory to the clinical social work profession’s various domains that include human behavior, practice, policy, research, and social work education. It addresses the broad spectrum of clinical social work, including practice in a variety of public and private settings and with a number of diverse populations, including racial-ethnic groups, gays and lesbians, trauma survivors, and child welfare parents. The book highlights the underemphasized contribution of the social work profession to the development of attachment theory and research.




Understanding Adult Attachment in Family Relationships


Book Description

Adult attachment style is a key framework for understanding problems in human relationships. This practical book introduces and explains an easily accessible assessment tool for adult attachment style, the Attachment Style Interview (ASI). It then discusses appropriate interventions that can be made to help families.




Adult Attachment


Book Description

Adult Attachment: A Concise Introduction to Theory and Research is an easy-to-read and highly accessible reference on attachment that deals with many of the key concepts and topics studied within attachment theory. This book is comprised of a series of chapters framed by common questions that are typically asked by novices entering the field of attachment. The content of each chapter focuses on answering this overarching question. Topics on the development of attachment are covered from different levels of analysis, including species, individual, and relationship levels, working models of attachment, attachment functions and hierarchies, attachment stability and change over time and across situations, relationship contexts, the cognitive underpinnings of attachment and its activation of enhancement via priming, the interplay between the attachment behavioral system and other behavioral systems, the effects of context on attachment, the contribution of physiology/neurology and genetics to attachment, the associations/differences between attachment and temperament, the conceptualization and measurement of attachment, and the association between attachment and psychopathology/therapy. TEDx talk: The Power of (Secure) Love by Omri Gillath: https://youtu.be/PgIQv-rTGgA - Uses a question-and-answer format to address the most important topics within attachment theory - Presents information in a simple, easy-to-understand way to ensure accessibility for novices in the field of attachment - Covers the main concepts and issues that relate to attachment theory, thus ensuring readers develop a strong foundation in attachment theory that they can then apply to the study of relationships - Addresses future directions in the field of attachment theory - Concisely covers material, ensuring scholars and professionals can quickly get up-to-speed with the most recent research




Attachment Theory in Practice


Book Description

Drawing on cutting-edge research on adult attachment--and providing an innovative roadmap for clinical practice--Susan M. Johnson argues that psychotherapy is most effective when it focuses on the healing power of emotional connection. The primary developer of emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for couples, Johnson now extends her attachment-based approach to individuals and families. The volume shows how EFT aligns perfectly with attachment theory as it provides proven techniques for treating anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Each modality (individual, couple, and family therapy) is covered in paired chapters that respectively introduce key concepts and present an in-depth case example. Special features include instructive end-of-chapter exercises and reflection questions.