Thursday, December 3, 2009

Attachment Theory

One thing I have learned in the classes I am taking is that there are many theoretical schools in counseling. Many of them do not believe in dealing with past issues but focus more on solutions, family structure or current problems and how they effect your life. These are very important theories. For certain problems they are a valuable tool. Therapists generally have a few methods they follow and a philosophy that guides their practice.

An attachment therapist begins with the child's birth and works on what happened there. This may explain a lot of what happens when we take our child to a therapist who does not practice Attachment Therapy. There are other theories that follow this thought of the past influencing our life now. Attachment Therapy follows well researched methods that can make a difference in your child's life. If you have not tried it and your child is struggling please think it over. There is a list of sites to the right that list Attachment Therapists. We went through a list of therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists before we went to an Attachment Therapist. We were very frustrated by the time we found one. Don't let past bad experiences with therapists hold you back. This IS different.

Have a healing day!

3 comments:

Arthur Becker-Weidman, PhD said...

Many therapeutic approaches grounded in Attachment Theory (Bowlby) focus primarily on the relationship because while the attachment-system is in a person, attachment behavior in a relational process. In addition, many such approaches focus on such processes as intersubjectivity (shared emotion, attention, and intention), and empathy.

Brenda said...

Dr,

Thanks for writing this....so you mean they do not believe it is necessary to go back deal with the trauma? I do believe intersubjectivity is vital in our relationships with our kids.

BeckyJoie said...

I'm noting a trend away from examining the past and thought it was related to the way that post-modernism has influenced the world of counseling. I see validity in both approaches really. Why not a blend? Relationships are key to the healing proccess so why not examine both the past and present relationships. But of course, I'm only a psych student. I do feel that empathy is important. I've seen some parents of children with RAD who seem to ridicule their children to show them what their poor behavior looks like. I can't understand how they think that will heal them.