This is a concise, accessible introduction to the basic principles of attachment theory, and their application to therapeutic practice. Bringing together 70 years' of theory and research, its expert authors provide a much-needed user-friendly guide to attachment-informed psychotherapy.
The book covers:
The history, research base, and key figures and concepts of attachment theory
The key concepts of attachment theory, and their implications for practice
Neuroscience implications of attachment and its therapeutic relevance
The parallels and differences between parent-child attachment and the therapeutic relationship
The application of attachment in adult individual psychotherapy across a number of settings, also to couples and families
The applications of attachment to working with complex disorders
The applications of attachment in child psychotherapy
Background: Attachment Science
Introduction
Attachment's Principals and Principles
Attachment-informed Psychotherapy: Definition and Overview
Affect Regulation in Attachment and Psychotherapy
Sensitivity, Mirroring, and Play: Foundations of Attachment Security in Caregivers and Therapists
The Neuroscience of Parental Sensitivity
Mentalising
'Earned Security': Attachment and Resilience
'Organised Insecurity': Fostering Security through Therapeutic Conversations
'Disorganised Insecurity': Attachment Approaches to Complex Disorders
From Stasis to Movement: An Attachment Model of Psychotherapeutic Change
The Improbable Profession: An Attachment-Bayesian Model of Psychodynamic Change
Attachment, Mentalising, and Child Psychotherapy: Working with Parents
Attachment in Couples and Families
Attachment and Society
Epilogue
Selected Attachment Bibliography
References
