Introduction to Attachment Theory & Clinical Practice

Many clinicians receive a beginning education of attachment theory in graduate school, but the learning often stops then. This workshop will help foster a more nuanced understanding of attachment theory, what different attachment styles look like in clinical practice, and how to work with clients who may have attachment concerns. The workshop will include assessing attachment theories with a specific client, understanding how to use a developmental lens with clients, and concrete clinical skills to assist clients in moving towards more secure attachment. Finally, the workshop will explore how to engage in this work relationally with clients, using the therapeutic relationship as a tool for observation and change.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand Attachment Theory
• Apply Attachment Theory principles to a case study example
• Analyze theories and skill building interventions that can be used to illuminate attachment patterns and resolve attachment dilemmas
• Evaluate the use and importance of an attachment lens with existing knowledge of clinical theory and diagnostic assessment
• Understand how to use a developmental lens of attachment to better support clients in the therapeutic relationship