Insecure attachment and parenting: A model therapeutic program for the treatment of insecurely attached adults

Insecure attachment with caregivers is related to a variety of problems in adulthood. These problems impact functioning in all aspects of living, including one's experience of the external world, one's internal regulation of affect, one's self-concept and feelings about the self, and one's interpersonal relationships. Insecurely attached adults' problems in each of these areas have a direct effect on their ability to parent their own children effectively. A model treatment program is set forth that addresses the problems in functioning experienced in each domain of insecurely attached adults' lives. The specific problems of insecurely attached parents are highlighted and interventions to ameliorate these problems are proposed in a six-stage treatment program that incorporates a variety of different therapeutic modalities and techniques. The format is intentionally flexible to allow therapists to individually tailor the program to meet the specific needs of their clients and select the therapeutic techniques that are most compatible with their own areas of expertise. The program is guided by the overarching belief that therapeutically addressing the cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal sequelae of insecure attachment allows for more adaptive functioning and better parenting abilities.