Attachment-Focused Therapy
Attachment-informed therapy places special importance on the therapeutic relationship as a means of promoting therapeutic change. It is based on the principle that a transformative client-therapist relationship is reliant on the therapist's ability to be sensitive, non-threatening, accepting and able to understand and empathise with an individual's coping strategies.
Attachment Theory proposes that "good enough" experiences with our caregivers in childhood enable us to develop a belief that we are worthy of love and that others can be trusted, otherwise known as attachment security. Research shows that people with attachment security tend to have healthy and supportive adult relationships and are less prone to emotional and physical health problems. However, sometimes things can go wrong in our childhood or adult relationships and we may develop attachment insecurity. There are two main dimensions of attachment insecurity, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance.
If you are high in attachment anxiety, you may have a fear of abandonment. You may desire close relationships but find that others are reluctant to get as close as you would like. You may seek a lot of reassurance and doubt that others love you. It is also possible that at times you get very emotionally distressed, particularly when you feel abandoned, or if you perceive a romantic partner withdrawing from you. By contrast, if you are high in attachment avoidance, you likely have a strong need for self-reliance and emotional independence. You may find that romantic partners want to be more emotionally intimate than you feel comfortable being. When under stress you likely withdraw from relationships and "cut off" from your emotions.
If you have experienced a particularly traumatic upbringing, you may alternate between extreme states of attachment anxiety and avoidance. If this is the case, you may find it extremely difficult to trust others. Research suggests that people with disorganised attachment may be more likely to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder or experience other mental health difficulties, including substance misuse.
I hope to provide a compassionate and safe therapeutic space (or secure base) from which you can safely explore your difficulties, develop new ways of coping and relating to others, and experience improved psychological wellbeing and resilience. Please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to book a consultation.
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”
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