Description
Attachment-based Counselling (ABC) Level 1: Introduction to the attachment-based developmental paradigm applied to therapy
More and more we are coming to understand, from the neurosciences, primatology studies as well as psychological theories, the need for human connection for us to blossom and flourish as human beings. Afterall, we are all creatures of attachment and when we are securely attached, we feel safe to explore the world and know where to run back to when things get too overwhelming for us. Classical Attachment theory, espoused by Bowlby in the 1950s and developed since then by many great researchers (Cassidy and Shaver (2008), Obegi and Berant (2009), Wallin (2007), Johnson (2019) keeps reminding us that human flourishing happens best when secure attachment is present. But very few of these clinical researchers present the theory from an intuitive, not a problem-saturated perspective. In these series of online courses Ruth is going to outline how healthy attachment develops and what are the optimal conditions for human thriving.
What material does this seminar cover?
In this seminar you will be introduced to the Attachment-based Developmental paradigm, based on the work of Dr Gordon Neufeld (2004,) which is more intuitive than the classical, diagnostic-focused Attachment theory. You will learn what is involved in healthy attachment development across the lifespan based on the premise that, when attachment hunger is satiated at 6 progressive levels of deepening attachment, it leads to full maturation, or as Maslow and the humanistic psychologists would call, self-actualisation. You will be introduced to the three processes of maturation that lead to this full blossoming of human potential: Adaptation, Integration and Emergence. The questions that will be explored include: What does it mean to be an adaptive, integrated and emergent being and where does developmental stuckness show how up in our stories or our client’s stories? From these insights, instead of asking what is wrong with our clients, we can ask, what happened to them? This re-framing comes from a trauma-informed perspective rather than a reductionistic, diagnostic perspective. Other key questions which will be addressed include: can our clients be too attached? What leads to defensive detachment? What is involved in attachment healing? How can our clients gain earned secure attachment, leading to psychological rest, first with us, the therapist, and then transferred to other significant relationships?
This seminar is a vital introduction for anyone new to the Attachment-based Developmental paradigm (based on Gordon Neufeld’s work). It is the first of a 3-part series, which explains sequentially the principles of Neufeld’s Attachment-based Developmental paradigm. Ruth applies these principles to healing attachment ruptures or deficits throughout the lifespan, in what she has termed Attachment-based Counselling (ABC)(mainly with adults but the principles are transferable and applicable to working with children and youth). In order for you to gain the most out of this training, it is best that you go through all the levels in sequential order as the material presumes you know foundational constructs before applying them to specialist sub-groups of clients or specific therapeutic issues (i.e. depression in ABC 2 and anxiety in ABC 3, etc).
Who is this seminar for?
This seminar is for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, anyone working in mental health who wants to understand the relational foundations of what leads to human thriving.
