Attachment Intro 2
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Transcript of Attachment Intro 2
Attachment Therapy
Theory and Practice
Attachment Theory• John Bowlby Introduced the “Attachment Behavior System”This system has the primary and immediate responsibility for
regulating infant safety in the environments of evolutionary adaptedness….it leads the infant to continually monitor the physical and psychological accessibility of attachment figures.
Attachment Theory
• Mary Ainsworth- “The Strange Situation”
• “The Strange Situation”- Widely replicated experiment that studied infants’ interactions with their primary caregivers.
Identified infant attachment behaviors1. Seeking proximity2. Secure base3. Flight to attachment figure
The most important factor in the child’s developing psychological is not whether he/she has become attached, but how the attachment to the primary figure has become organized.
Two Broad Categories of Attachment
• SecureInfant feels confident about the predictable response of the caregiver.
• InsecureInfant feels anxious about the unpredictable responses of the caregiver.
Types of Insecure Attachment
• Insecure-Preoccupied “Sometimes my caregiver meets
my needs, but sometimes not, so I am anxious and will cling to her/him for reassurance.”
Insecure-Avoidant“My security needs won’t be met, so I won’t look to my caregiver for reassurance. This would mean risking rejection.”
Insecure-Disorganized“I have so much anxiety over my caregiver’s inconsistent (and sometimes threatening) responses, that I will seek out safety from anyone who looks like they might meet my needs.”
What Causes Insecure Attachment?• Unpredictable Caregiving• Frightening or Dangerous Caregiving• Unresolved States Within the Caregiver
Attachment is BIOLOGICAL!Attachment actually shapes many biological systems within the body.
• Brain mass, volume, and functioning• Autonomic Nervous System• Heart• Respiration• Endocrine System• Immune System
How are Brains Made?
•Internal Working Models•Experience•Attention• Use of Body
THE GROWTH OF AN ATTACHMENT SYSTEM
The explosion of right brain growth during the first two years of life is the basis of the attachment system. Right brain functions include:• Imagery• Sound• Smells• Movement• Affect• Sensation• Sense of Self in Space• Metaphor
Attachment theorists maintain that models
of attachment develop initially in
childhood relationships with
parents and serve as prototypes for later
relationships.
Adult Attachment
• Mary Ainsworth (1991)– “There is a seeking to obtain an
experience of security and comfort in the relationship with the partner.”
– Romantic Partners can help each other develop secure attachment.
Attachment-Focused Family Therapy
Safety Attunement Magnification Co-regulation Reflection
• PACE Model of Parenting – Playfulness– Acceptance – Curiosity– Empathy
The PACE parenting model rests on the principle that home should be a sanctuary…a safe haven for all. The rights of all members of the home, children and adults, deserve respect. The development of each person is encouraged without hurting the development of another.
Allan Schore…
“The essential biological purpose of intersubjective communications in all human interactions, including those imbedded in the psychobiological core of the therapeutic alliance, is the regulation of right-brain/mind/body states.” (2005)
OnTrack’s Attachment ProgramRationale: Research overwhelmingly show that children removed from their parents and placed in “better” environments fare worse than those who remain with their families of origin, however flawed they may be.
OnTrack’s Attachment Program
Goals: Build parenting capacities Reduce attachment trauma Reduce intergenerational transmission of attachment-related disorders Reduce out-of-home placement of at-risk children
OnTrack’s Attachment Program
Interventions: Individual and Parent/Child assessment. Attachment-focused family therapy. Individual Therapy Parent/child attachment coaching. Psychoeducation in attachment for parents in treatment.
Tools
• AAI –Adult Attachment Inventory
• BAA-Brief Attachment Assessment
• Piccolo Assessment• CRI-Crittendon Relationships
Inventory
Opportunities for Change
Interagency Collaboration• Community partners working together towards the goal of reunification• Recognition of common goals
Systemic Change
Recognition of Common Goal• Community partners recognize that we are all here to help children and families succees• Foster parents mentoring bio parents• Honoring bio parents’ cultural, social, and religious traditions when the plan is to return to parent
End
Program Contact information :Elizabeth Fisher, OnTrack, Inc. (541)772-1777 ext. 53