Attachment-Focused Family Therapy

Andforyears,followingthesetenets,thetheorysfocushasbeenonhowchildrendevelopvis-a-vistheattachmentswhethersecureorinsecuretheyformwiththeircaregivers.Inthetherapyroom,thishasmeantworkingwithindividualsone-on-one,withthetherapistassumingtheroleoftheattachmentfigureinordertoprovideasecurebasefortreatingclientsproblemsthatarosefromtroubledinterpersonalrelationshipsinchildhood.Here,DanielA.Hughes,aneminentclinicianandattachmentspecialist,isthefirsttoexpandthistraditionalmodel,applyingattachmenttheorytoafamilytherapysetting.Drawingonmorethan20yearsofclinicalexperience,Hughespresentshiscomprehensive,effective,andaccessibletreatmentmodelforworkingwithallmembersofafamilynotsimplytheindividualinquestiontorecognize,resolve,andhealpersonalandfamilyproblemsusingprinciplesfromtheoriesofattachmentandintersubjectivity.BeginningwithanoverviewofattachmentandintersubjectivitythetwintheoriesfromwhichheformshistreatmentplanHughescarefullyoutlines,chapterbychapter,thecoreprinciplesandstrategiesofhisfamily-basedapproach.HeelaboratesontheneedtodevelopandmaintainPACE(playfulness,acceptance,curiosity,andempathy)thecentraltherapeuticstanceofattachment-focusedfamilytherapyandsuppliestipsandsampledialoguesforimplementingthisposition.Theimportanceoffosteringaffective/reflective(a/r)dialogueiscoveredindetail,aswellashelpingfamiliestomanageshame,understandandembracethebreak-and-repaircycleoftheirinteractions,andexploreandresolvechildhoodtrauma.Alsodiscussedarethemoreproceduralissuesofhowtoincorporateparentsintotherapeuticconversations,whenandhowtoquestionthemontheirownattachmenthistories,andhowtobewithchildren.Groundedinthefundamentalprincipleofparentsfacilitatingthehealthyemotionaldevelopmentoftheirchildren,Attachment-FocusedFamilyTherapyisthefirstbookofitskindtooffertherapistsacompletemanualforusingattachmenttherapywithfamilies.Extensivecasestudies,vignettes,andsampledialoguesthroughoutclearlydemonstratehowHughessmodelplaysoutinthetherapyroom.Byshowingtherapistshowtocreateabondofpsychologicalsafetyandintersubjectivediscoverywithparentsandcaregivers,Hughesrevealshowthey,inturn,canbringaboutsimilarexperiencesofsafetyanddiscoveryfortheirchildren.