Family Attachment Analysis

As explained by Bowlby (2008), the quality of the attachment relationship between a parent and child is a crucial determinant in development. The quality of parental sensitivity in repeated interactions and daily occurrences permits the child to set expectations regarding the behavior of their primary caregiver in times of duress (Kerns & Brumariu, 2014). Consequently, a child’s social and emotional development is ultimately affected by the type of parent-child attachment experienced early in life. The research revealed that secure attachment formed between the parent and child predicts ideal behavior (Kochanska & Kim, 2013). However, the formation of insecure attachment styles significantly increase potential risks for challenging behavior regarding social and emotional

My theoretical approach to family therapy is very integrative as I believe families cannot be described nor treated from a single-school approach. I view humans through a humanistic and existential lens but am more technically structural and solution-based. With this integrative approach, I believe I will be the most effective in helping families grow and reach their goals.

The children have to understand the importance of attachment theory because, it may help them to solve many

and thus the family structure and dynamic should be examined and considered when working with a client to deliver the most effective counseling approach.

A therapist who works from a family system perspective takes on the role of teacher, model and consultant (Corey, 2017). The therapist is active in forming a relationship with the family by acknowledging and

That is, the nuclear family's relationship-or lack of relationship-to the extended family or the community may play a huge part in functioning. Ackerman (1958) viewed family work as a special method of treatment of emotional disorders based on dynamically oriented interviews with the whole family. This looks at the who, what, where, when, why, and how of family. The goal is to bring to the surface all the "contributors" (person or thing) of the issue and map out ways to manage it.

The basic concepts of this type of therapy are boundaries, subsystems, complementary and alignments which are easily applied and grasped. The most important aspect the therapist must keep in perspective is that every family is made up of structure and that these structures are seen only when the members of the family interact. If the therapist does not consider the entire structure of the family and intervene in only one of the many subsystems are most likely not to attain a lasting change.

It is the responsibility of a human service professional to guide the client through the entire process which will prove to be easier due to the relationship that was initially established. Kilpatrick and Holland writes about the importance of building a positive relationship within the family during the initial. This will allow the human service provider to introduce alliance not only with the therapist, but with the family system as well. The text note during the first visit the counselors’ task is to ensure the client is counseling include being educated in regards to the expectation, responsibilities and role of all parties involved and regarding the confidentiality of shared information (2009, p. 106).

The family’s main problems can be understood from the theoretical perspective Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT). The client that was referred is Mia. She is a 17 year old second generation Chinese-American girl. She is currently a junior in high school and is preparing to take the SAT’s next year. Mia’s teacher referred her due to mild symptoms of depression. This perspective is important because a child depends on his/her parents being available and protective which causes a secure attachment. However, if parents are not available and protective it increases the possibility of their children having an insecure attachment which is associated with depression. It is highly encouraged that Mia’s parents are apart of the

The family is made up of five people: Claudia, the IP; Carolyn, mother; Laura, the sister; Don, the brother; and David, the father. The family is coming into therapy because there have been mounting concerns about Claudia and her behavior—acting out, staying out late, some fairly typical teenage stuff. For the purpose of this paper, I will be starting at the beginning where the family is first coming into therapy. I will first school that I will apply is Structural Family Therapy and the second school is Bowen Family Therapy.

The family is the fundamental source of attachment, socialization, and nurturing (Zimic & Jakic, 2012). When attachment needs are not met as the result of substance use multiple aspects of the family are affected. These include experiencing unmet developmental needs, poorly developed familial relationships, financial difficulties, and emotional and behavioral problems. In addition, children living in this environment have an increased risk of developing attachment and substance use disorders as well (Zimic & Jakic, 2012). The consequences of substance use disorders have a profound impact on the family system (Landers, Howsare, & Byrne, 2013). The family environment carries information indicating how substance use disorders begin and evolve. Substance use disorders create a dysfunctional family unit perpetuating emotional and behavioral patterns that result in negative outcomes (Landers et al.,

Although, I relate to some aspects of both secure and ambivalent attachment styles, I believe that my anxiety has caused me to mainly have an ambivalent attachment style. At a young age, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that has caused me to be timid and nervous in relationships. As someone with an ambivalent attachment style, I find it difficult to maintain a clear view of self, put myself in new social settings, and express myself around people. Even though I know that the Lord wants His followers to let go of worry and fellowship with one another, I feel held back by my attachment style and nerves. I do not believe that my attachment style originated as a result of limited independence during childhood,

Attachment theory concerns the psychological, evolutionary and ethological ideas that help us understand relationships between people. Theorists believe that a child has a need to form attachments with an adult care giver to ensure adequate growth and social and emotional development. This ‘bond’ has to be maintained by the care giver and mostly uninterrupted to ensure a child grows into a happy and confident, adapted adult.

therapy aims to improve family relations, and the family is encouraged to become a type of

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).