Attachment-Focused Therapy

Attachment-Focused Therapy is based on the principles of Attachment Theory. Secure and supportive relationships, especially in childhood, enable us to develop a sense of who we are and 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 mental health difficulties. However, sometimes things can go wrong in our childhood or adult relationships and we may develop attachment insecurity. 

If you are high in attachment anxiety, you may have a fear of abandonment. You likely 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 likely 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. 

At one point our attachment or relationship styles would have been adaptive and necessary for the environments we found ourselves in, especially if they originated in our childhoods. I will help you to understand your own attachment patterns and how they may be impacting you in the here and now. The aim of this therapy is for us to work together to help you to develop a sense of attachment security and in turn improve your relationships and mental health. Attachment-Focused therapy involves visualisation exercises as well as traditional talking therapy. I hope to provide a compassionate and safe therapeutic space for you to safely explore your attachment patterns, develop new coping styles and move towards more security in your relationships.