Attachment Theory

Attachment theory tells us that how we grew up, how we related to our caregivers effects us as adults. Through a process called compassionate inquiry we look at your childhood through new lenses to uncover what might be holding you back today. Some people come to therapy expecting to go to a couple of sessions until the counselor tells them what to do about their problem. I don’t do that. I do help guide you to your own answers.

Understanding attachment theory and add in the PloyVagal theory you get a sense of greater ways to regulate yourself in and out of your relationships. The pattern you learned in the styles of attachment in your multigenerational linage can play a large part in the way your body responds to conflict and connection. Over time we get to explore and heal these old patterns to bring on more thrive in your life.

As humans we are biologically wired to attach to our parents when we are babies. How we experience this attunement of safety, love and connection stays with us through our childhood and into adulthood. We unconsciously carry our attachment style into relationships as adults. The main styles of attachment are anxious, avoidant, disorganized and secure. In healthy relationships both adults strive for secure attachment, but attachment injuries from childhood or past relationships can prevent se

Attachment therapy aims to help individuals who have issues with relationships stemming from childhood experiences such as neglect, abuse, or trauma. These experiences can affect a person's ability to form healthy and secure connections in adulthood, leading to problems like anxiety, depression, and difficulty in forming and maintaining close relationships. The goal is to help individuals develop a more secure attachment style, leading to better relationships and overall emotional well-being.

Babies depend on their caregivers for survival. Parents can anticipate their infant's needs and respond most of the time (secure attachment) or they can not respond or respond inconsistently which creates panic in the infant (anxious/avoidant attachment). By working with me I hope I respond to your needs and anticipate your needs thus creating a secure attachment. We use that bond so you can safely explore the world and come back to a safe base.

Everyone needs healthy attachment bonds. Attachment is a deep human, and even mammalian need. We literally need to be securely attached to others in order to feel safe, supported and live a fulfilling life. Our survival actually depended on it in human history. Most relationship challenges arise from the fact that people feel their safe and secure attachment to a loved one is threatened. This activates survival alarms in the brain. Healthy attachment is vital in relationships.

Over the past several years, I have found that exploring the theory of Attachment with some of my clients can help us understand the relational dynamics through our ongoing relationships such as; family, life-long friends, and thier romantic relationships, to name a few. Attachment theory can be very insightful, as it helps us see how we relate to the world and how we perceive other people in our lives.

All people want to feel connected to and valued by others. Attachment therapy recognizes that we cannot heal in isolation and honors the profound difficulties that can arise when we feel disconnected from those we rely on for support. I completed a one-year internship in my graduate program focused on attachment-based therapy and use this theory as the bedrock for my work. Working from this lens, I work to build secure and authentic relationships with my clients so they can feel safe and valued.

Attachment Theory is about discovering that how a person was cared for & related to in their early years still effects them today especially in close relationships. When we were young we learned if the world was safe or not. To make us feel safe we isolated or became people pleasers. These patterns continue on into adulthood & can be very disruptive in all relationships. There are ways to feel emotionally safe so you can thrive.

Attachment theory prioritizes relationships in your life as the main factor in determining your wellbeing. The level of closeness you felt growing up within your family as well as your support system now all impact your mental health. Attachment changes over our lifespan and even with difficult childhood experiences, we can learn to re-attach to ourselves and connect to others without fear of abandonment or rejection.

I work with clients through an attachment lens to work through issues relating to self, family, and community

Attachment theory focuses on the how we have learned to experience ourselves and others through the relationships that we were raised in, and can help to inform who some people struggle with trust, intimacy and communication in intimate partner relationships as well as how these struggles may be improved through therapy and couples therapy. Attachment theory is closely related to both family systems and object relations models of psychotherapy.

My background is focused in attachment based therapy. I approach client trauma from an attachment lens and help clients work through childhood traumas, family of origin trauma and discord, and relationship dynamic concerns.

Much of my lens is founded in exploring the relational coping mechanisms developed in childhood, and how they live on and impact relationships today. The better we are able to understand the ways we have been unconsciously trying to protect ourselves and how these actions impact others, the more empowered we are to shift to emotional processing and communication tools that help support the relationships and lives we strive for.