Professional interest in the clinical applications of attachment theory continues to grow and evolve, and at the same time narrative approaches are also gaining ground. This book explores how attachment-based ideas can be used in clinical practice by offering a practical and sophisticated exposition of clinical approaches. Bringing together three main systems of thought and psychotherapeutic practice - systemic theory, attachment theory and narrative theory - practitioners are shown how to use these ideas in their work through the integrated approach of ‘attachment narrative therapy’. Using clinical examples, the authors provide guidance on how to use attachment narrative therapy in different clinical contexts and with various client groups, including working with: addictions: alcohol dependency and eating distress loss and grief trauma and dissociation love and sexuality: applications with couples. Systemic Therapy and Attachment Narratives provides practical guidance for a range of mental health professionals including family therapists, child, adolescent and adult psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and social workers, enabling them to apply this approach in a range of contexts.

What are some of the central connections between narrative, systemic and attachment therapies? How do early emotional experiences in families shape our narratives about ourselves and our families? In what ways do family attachments shape our narrative abilities, such as being able to reflect on and integrate our experiences? This book sets out a framework for practice – Attachment Narrative Therapy – that provides a new approach to working with families, couples and individuals. This is not offered as a prescriptive model but as an aid and guide to practice that draws aspects of narrative and attachment therapy into systemic work. The synthesis of these ideas offers clinicians a new integrative way to approach their practice – one in which the three approaches are used to create a greater whole than their constituent parts. The book includes: Clinical examples Personal reflections Frameworks for clinical practice Therapeutic guides that include details of the application of core techniques Extensive reading guides that offer connections to related theory and practice Attachment Narrative Therapy is essential reading for a wide variety of therapists and counsellors along with researchers and trainers in those fields. It also provides insight into good practice for health and social welfare professionals in the area of family and child welfare.

Children whose early development has been damaged by abuse or neglect are notoriously difficult to reach. Through many years' therapeutic work with adopted children and their families, the Family Attachment Center of Minnesota has developed an exciting and innovative technique which uses stories as the main mode for helping parents to communicate and connect with their troubled children. Connecting with Kids through Stories is an accessible guide to Family Attachment Narrative Therapy for the parents of adopted or fostered children, and for the professionals who work with them. Providing a thorough theoretical grounding, and detailed information on therapeutic techniques and how to assess progress, the book shows parents how to create their own therapeutic stories to promote increased attachment and improved behavior in their child. The authors describe how different kinds of narratives can help with specific difficulties and illustrate their techniques with the story of a fictional family who develop their own narratives to help their adopted child heal. The Family Attachment and Counseling Center of Minnesota works to promote the growth and healthy functioning of individuals and families through professional guidance, with a particular emphasis on services for children. The Center's Family Attachment Narrative Therapy program has been especially developed to help children whose development has been compromised by early life trauma and attachment relationship difficulties.

This best-selling book is an easy-to-read introduction to the ideas and practices of narrative therapy. It uses accessible language, has a concise structure and includes a wide range of practical examples. What Is Narrative Practice? covers a broad spectrum of narrative practices including externalisation, re-membering, therapeutic letter writing, rituals, leagues, reflecting teams and much more. If you are a therapist, health worker or community worker who is interesting in applying narrative ideas in your own work context, this book was written with you in mind.

This book sets out a framework for practice that provides a new approach to working with families, couples and individuals. This is not offered as a prescriptive model but as an aid and guide to practice that draws aspects of narrative and attachment therapy into systemic work.

This textbook provides an up-to-date guide to the application of Attachment Narrative Therapy (ANT), a model that combines concepts and techniques from systemic family therapy, narrative therapy and theory and attachment theory. Edited and with contributions from leading practitioners of ANT, this book brings together illustrations of its applications in a variety of clinical settings. It offers practical guidance and the latest research from clinicians who are now advancing its application. Another important feature is illustration of how practitioners have developed ANT to incorporate the latest ideas and methods from trauma theory and neuro-biology. It will provide a valuable new resource for practitioners, teachers and students of systemic practice, family therapy, clinical psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.