Attachment-Based Therapy (ABT) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on developing and strengthening secure attachment between individuals and their caregivers or partners. Grounded in attachment theory, ABT emphasizes the importance of secure attachment in maintaining mental health and fostering positive interpersonal relationships.
Understanding Attachment Theory
ABT looks at the connection between an infant’s early attachment experiences with primary caregivers (usually parents) and their ability to develop normally and form healthy emotional and physical relationships as adults.
British psychologist John Bowlby’s pioneering work in the 1960s proposed that strong early attachment to at least one primary caregiver is necessary for children to have a sense of security. This foundation enables them to freely interact with their environment, explore, learn from new experiences, and connect with others
Bowlby identified four attachment styles: secure attachment, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and disorganized attachment. These styles continue to inform our understanding of relationships in adulthood.
Goals & Process of ABT
Expressing Emotions: Clients explore their emotions, especially those related to attachment experiences.
Developing Trust: The client-therapist relationship focuses on trust-building, mirroring the importance of secure attachment.
Mending Fractured Relationships: ABT can be used in individual, family, couple, and group therapy to help clients mend or recover from fractured family relationships.
Targeting Mental Health Conditions: ABT can prevent or treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
