Attachment…

‘The primary ingredient of secure attachment experiences is the pattern of emotional communication between child and caregiver.’

Dr. Dan Siegel

Attachment is one of, if not the most important subjects relating to troubled children and young people – in fact, in my view, it’s probably the most important thing to grasp!

To have any hope of understanding their problems, we must know what attachment is and the impact on children’s development when it goes wrong.

I hope the following will help to this end. To view the items, just click on the grey stripes below. If there are other resources that you would recommend, please email me or leave a comment below so that I can include them.

Thanks!

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'The TRM was the best attachment training i've ever had!'

Wales Attachment Network…

Before we get to resources, I must urge you to check out the Wales Attachment Network webpage on the Children in Wales website. This is an organisation that I’m glad to have some involvement with, including drawing up the definition statements available below. Please consider joining the Network so that you can take full advantage of keeping in touch with attachment-related activity in wales.

You might also want to consider the International Attachment Network or those from other home nations.

Attachment-based practice…

Photo courtesy of ©Pavilion Publishing

One of the great challenges with attachment theory-as with any theory-is knowing what the practice implications are. What do you actually do about such problems? Here’s where this next resource can help.

This book is superb. In 2009 I attended the training with Clark Baim and Tony Morrison around which this book was built. It changed my practice and gave me some thoroughly useable insights into how attachment theory could help me to help the teenagers I work with.

The book’s focus is on working with adults. But if you work with teenagers you will find immense value in what it has to say. It is much more than a book; it’s a resource. It uses dramatised case material to teach and to guide readers through the application of the LEARN method of working.

In relation to attachment, have you ever asked yourself, “how do I put this into practice?” Yep, so did I. Well this book answers that question.

It’s expensive, but it really is worth it. Read more about my view of this resource in a blog post I wrote about it, here.

Attachment miscellaneous…

Wales Attachment Network definition – entitled “A Reasonably Brief and Very Interesting Overview,” this is the accepted definition of attachment from the Network

Working With Attachment in a Secure Setting for adolescents – this is a piece myself and Dr. Tricia Skuse wrote for the Wales Attachment Network newsletter in summer 2012

Attachment Styles Summary Table – this table has been reproduced with permission (thanks Phil!) from the excellent book by Phil Rich, called: Attachment and Sexual Offending: Understanding and Applying Attachment Theory to the Treatment of Juvenile Sexual Offenders

Attachment Styles Summary Slide – this diagram is based on a 3D schematic used by Clark Baim and Tony Morrison on their 4 day attachment-based interviewing course. It’s my attempt to capture the concept in a 2D diagram and is used with permission.

Article Series from Dr Susan Goldberg – from the Canadian website About Kids Health.