Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy
Edited by Susan M. Johnson and Valerie E. Whiffen
Request a free digital professor copy on VitalSource ?“The editors of this book have done well in ensuring that, whenever possible, recommended therapeutic interventions are data based....The various chapters are well written; they are free of jargon and cohere beautifully into an integrated whole, balancing theory, clinical practice, and research.”
—Psychiatric Services
“Dramatically changed the way I think about couple therapy....I quite literally found every chapter of this book useful in expanding my knowledge of attachment theory in the context of couple and family therapy.”
—Couples Research and Therapy Newsletter
“For decades, the family therapy field seemed addicted to the idea that families and couples `operate like machines. Fortunately, attachment theory has come on the scene of late to give couple and family therapists a secure conceptual base for understanding what is fundamental to close, committed relationships. Johnson and Whiffen's outstanding new book organizes the best of what is known about attachment theory and family therapy, and will serve as a springboard for creative new developments in this important area for a long time to come.”
—Alan S. Gurman, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin Medical School
“Johnson and Whiffen should be commended for providing a remarkable resource for couple and family therapists and researchers alike. This book brings together a stellar set of contributions offering a unique blend of basic scholarship and creative application. The result is essential reading for graduate students and a 'must-have' handbook for clinicians of all theoretical persuasions. Readers will find a theoretical framework for the field of couple and family therapy that is comprehensive, data-based, and integrative. I enthusiastically recommend this volume to anyone interested in couple and family functioning or strategies of intervention.”
—Steven R. H. Beach, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia
“This impressive volume provides a theory-rich account of human attachment bonds and the development and treatment of relationship problems. It draws together leading researchers and clinicians in the areas of developmental psychology, social psychology, and couple and family therapy. The contributors offer new insights into the links among emotional experience, relationship behavior, and individual adjustment, together with valuable techniques for strengthening intimate relationships.”
—Judith A. Feeney, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
“This book has been an excellent addition to my training curriculum. As a text in a graduate-level marriage and family therapy training seminar, the book provides students with an essential theoretical foundation for understanding the manifestation of attachment dynamics in a clinical setting. Its coverage of diverse clinical applications and populations is invaluable to the students as they work to integrate theory and practice.”
—Craig W. Smith, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Table of Contents
I. Relevance of Attachment Theory for Clinical Practice1. Introduction to Attachment: A Therapist's Guide to Primary Relationships and Their Renewal, Susan M. Johnson
2. Adult Attachment Theory, Psychodynamics, and Couple Relationships: An Overview, Dory A. Schachner, Phillip R. Shaver, and Mario Mikulincer
3. The Essential Nature of Couple Relationships, Cindy Hazan
4. Stability and Change of Attachment Representations from Cradle to Grave, Elaine Scharfe
5. Alternate Pathways to Competence: Culture and Early Attachment Relationships, Vivian J. Carlson and Robin L. Harwood
II. Models of Clinical Intervention
6. Attachment Theory: A Guide for Couple Therapy, Susan M. Johnson
7. Attachment Processes in Couple Therapy: Informing Behavioral Models, Joanne Davila
8. Caring for the Caregiver: An Attachment Approach to Assessment and Treatment of Child Problems, Roger Kobak and Toni Mandelbaum
9. Creating and Repairing Attachments in Biological, Foster, and Adoptive Families, Terry M. Levy and Michael Orlans
10. Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Depressed Adolescents: Repairing Attachment Failures, Guy S. Diamond and Richard S. Stern
III. Using an Attachment Perspective in Interventions with Particular Populations
11. The First Couple: Using Watch, Wait, and Wonder to Change Troubled Infant-Mother Relationships, Nancy J. Cohen, Elisabeth Muir, and Mirek Lojkasek
12. The Journey of Adolescence: Transitions in Self within the Context of Attachment Relationships, Marlene M. Moretti and Roy Holland
13. Implications of Adult Attachment for Preventing Adverse Marital Outcomes, Rebecca J. Cobb and Thomas N. Bradbury
14. Attachment in Later Life: Implications for Intervention with Older Adults, J. Michael Bradley and Gail Palmer
15. Using an Attachment-Based Intervention with Same-Sex Couples, Gordon J. Josephson
IV. Specific Attachment Interventions for Particular Problems
16. Looking Outward Together: Adult Attachment and Childbearing Depression, Valerie E. Whiffen
17. Understanding the Effects of Child Sexual Abuse History on Current Couple Relationships: An Attachment Perspective, Pamela C. Alexander
18. Attachment and the Experience of Chronic Pain: A Couples Perspective, Samuel F. Mikail
V. Conclusion
19. What Attachment Theory Can Offer Marital and Family Therapists, Valerie E. Whiffen
About the Editors
Susan M. Johnson, EdD, until her death in 2024, was Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Distinguished Research Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Alliant International University in San Diego; and Director of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. "Dr. Sue" was the pioneering innovator of emotionally focused therapy (EFT). She published widely, including acclaimed books for professionals, bestselling books for general readers, and numerous articles, book chapters, and teaching videos. Her seminal contributions to couple therapy have been recognized with the Family Psychologist of the Year Award from Division 43 of the American Psychological Association and the Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She was most proud of receiving the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.Valerie E. Whiffen, PhD, Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, has published widely in the area of depression, particularly focusing on women's depression. In recent publications, she has explored an attachment theory-based understanding of depression that co-occurs with marital distress. Dr. Whiffen teaches graduate courses in adult psychopathology and interpersonal theory, and supervises the clinical work of practicum students and interns in the American Psychological Association-accredited clinical psychology program at the University of Ottawa. She is a registered clinical psychologist and maintains a private practice specializing in the treatment of depression and marital distress.
Contributors
Pamela C. Alexander, PhD, Office of Research and Technology Development, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PAThomas N. Bradbury, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
J. Michael Bradley, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
Vivian J. Carlson, PhD, Department of Child Study/Education/Special Education, Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT
Rebecca J. Cobb, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Nancy J. Cohen, PhD, CPsych, Hincks-Dellcrest Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Joanne Davila, PhD, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
Guy S. Diamond, PhD, Center for Family Intervention Science, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Robin L. Harwood, PhD, School of Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Cindy Hazan, PhD, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Roy Holland, MD, FRCP, Maples Adolescent Centre, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Susan M. Johnson, EdD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa; Ottawa Couple and Family Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Gordon J. Josephson, doctoral candidate, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Roger Kobak, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Terry M. Levy, PhD, Evergreen Psychotherapy Center, Evergreen, CO
Mirek Lojkasek, PhD, CPsych, Hincks-Dellcrest Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toni Mandelbaum, BA, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Samuel F. Mikail, PhD, The Southdown Institute, Aurora, Ontario, Canada; The Institute of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Mario Mikulincer, PhD, Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Marlene M. Moretti, PhD, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Elisabeth Muir, BSc, Hincks-Dellcrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michael Orlans, MA, Evergreen Psychotherapy Center, Evergreen, CO
Gail Palmer, MSW, Ottawa Couple and Family Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dory A. Schachner, doctoral candidate, Department of Psychology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA
Elaine Scharfe, PhD, Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Phillip R. Shaver, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA
Richard S. Stern, PhD, Center for Family Intervention Science, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Valerie E. Whiffen, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada