The Neurobiology of Attachment-Focused Therapy

Uniting attachment-focused therapy and neurobiology to help distrustful and traumatized children revive a sense of trust and connection.

How can therapists and caregivers help maltreated children recover what they were born with: the potential to experience the safety, comfort, and joy of having trustworthy, loving adults in their lives?

This groundbreaking book explores, for the first time, how the attachment-focused family therapy model can respond to this question at a neural level. It is a rich, accessible investigation of the brain science of early childhood and developmental trauma. Each chapter offers clinicians new insights—and powerful new methods—to help neglected and insecurely attached children regain a sense of safety and security with caring adults. Throughout, vibrant clinical vignettes drawn from the authors’ own experience illustrate how informed clinical processes can promote positive change.

Reviews

“The book is written in a very accessible style, using ‘stories’ to illustrate points and to bring situations to life for the reader. . . . [A] user-friendly text for those working in this field.” — Special Educational Needs Magazine

“[A] brilliantly helpful guide for working effectively and empathically with children rescued from severe abuse, and their new caregivers. . . . [A]n informative, inspiring and uplifting book.” — Human Givens Journal

“This eminently readable, practical, and profound book is required reading for anyone who works with distressed children and their caregivers. It is another example of how attachment science, when linked to neurobiology, revolutionizes intervention. This science offers therapists a comprehensive guide, not just to symptom reduction, but to the creation of secure connection, renewed growth and resilience.” — Dr. Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight and Love Sense, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology

(From W.W. Norton publishers website http://books.wwnorton.com/books/978-0-393-71104-2/. Accessed 28th March 2017)