Attachment theory and research have greatly enhanced our understanding of the role of parent-child relationships in the development of psychopathology. Yet until now, little has been written on how an attachment perspective can be used to actively inform psychotherapeutic practice. In this invaluable work, Karl Heinz Brisch presents an attachment-oriented framework for assessing and treating patients of all ages. Rich, extended case examples form the core of the book. Demonstrated are the ways attachment-oriented interventions can effectively be used to treat a wide range of patients: couples trying unsuccessfully to conceive, women with severe postpartum depression, children and adolescents with behavioral and emotional disturbances, adults with relationship difficulties and work problems, and others. Applications in short- and long-term psychotherapy are discussed, as well as use of the model in such other contexts as prevention in infant mental health, family therapy, and group work. A vital resource for practitioners, this book is also a compelling text for graduate-level psychotherapy courses.

Karl Heinz Brisch, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychotherapist, as well as an adult psychiatrist and neurologist; a training psychoanalyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute; and head of the Department of Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the Children's Hospital at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. Dr. Brisch's primary research is on the development of infants and children with high-risk conditions and the development of attachment and its disorders. He has led longitudinal research projects on attachment disturbances and early psychotherapeutic interventions. He is a member of the World Association of Infant Mental Health and of the Society for Research in Child Development.

Tags: treating attachment disorders