Attachment
Attachment refers to the connection and bonds we build with other people both in infancy and adulthood. In therapy it often refers to how we relate, engage and respond to other people - our family, our partners, our friends, even ourselves. If the ways we engage with these people don’t leave us feeling safe and supported, there may be some attachment wounds or patterns that aren’t serving us, and that therapy can help us to repair.
What is Attachment?
As children we form attachment with our primary caregivers whom we rely on for emotional, physical and mental safety. Those attachments create patterns that we replicate with others as we get older. If there is a disruption to this attachment as children (due to neglect, abuse, trauma, death, emotional distance, or some lack of capacity for our caregivers to be present how we need them), as adults we sometimes see the lingering impacts of it in how we relate to others. We might have an inability to trust that our partner really means what they say. Or a need to remain independent and not rely on anyone else for anything - not out of self-determination, but out of a fear that others will let us down. Or a need to be best friends with every single person we meet, out of fear that if we don’t we will be alone.
Though many people might use the terms interchangeably, as professionals we refer to therapies focused on attachment with the term Attachment-Based Therapy. This is because Attachment Therapy has come to mean a very specific type of “therapy” that causes harm and has proven to be ineffective. When working with our team you can be assured the support we provide will be evidence-based and focused on enhancing your wellbeing while supporting your safety.
Types of Therapy and Support
Therapy for attachment primarily depends on the age of the client, and the attachment issues that need to be addressed in therapy. For younger clients it might mean play therapy or parent-child dyadic work, for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder it might be Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) combined with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), and for those adults who want to work on their existing attachment wounds it might be working with Attachment-Based Therapies. Each clinician will have their own approach to dealing with attachment, but some of the approaches you might experience at The Growth & Wellness Therapy Centre include:
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Attachment-Based Therapies
Narrative Therapy
Play Therapy
Sandtray Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Working with a Clinician
Our office has a number of professionals who work with attachment, who you can view below. Once your clinician has met with you and completed their assessment they will make a plan with you to address the symptoms you’re experiencing, and the experiences you’ve been through that may be contributing to your current state of attachment. Therapy is most effective when there is a strong connection between the therapist and client, and because of that we encourage you to meet for consults with as many clinicians as you need to ensure the best fit.
