What Is Attachment-Based Therapy?: Attachment-based therapy (sometimes called attachment-based family therapy (ABTF), attachment-based psychotherapy, and attachment-based counselling) is rooted in attachment theory, which posits that humans have an innate desire for meaningful, secure relationships and attachments that you make in early life and that children in particular need to experience a secure attachment relationship with a caregiver in order to develop in a healthy way.
How Does Attachment-Based Therapy Work?: Therapy can be practised with individuals (children, adolescents and adults), couples, families and groups, and has proven effective at helping clients recover from fractured relationships in their family of origin. Symptoms and issues arising from this type of origin can include substance abuse and addiction, avoidance, anxiety, stress and depression, workaholicism and eating disorders.
Attachment-based therapy is particularly useful for clients or families who have experienced adoption, foster care, divorce, a mentally ill caregiver, an abusive caregiver, or other traumatic childhood experiences. When a child’s developing attachment to its main carers is broken or proves unsatisfactory, there can be feelings that often make it difficult for them to feel emotionally secure.