63rd Annual Conference

Saturday, February 25

Afternoon Workshops

2:15-5:30 P.M.

Workshop 90        

Identifying the Instinctive Behavioural Attachment Systems: Implications for Group Therapy

Chair:         

Una McCluskey, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, University of York, York, England

This workshop presents a theory of interaction for individual and group psychotherapy based on extended attachment theory, building on the work of Bowlby, Ainsworth and others.  Research will be presented on the process of affect attunement in adult psychotherapy which makes it possible to measure Goal-Corrected Empathic Attunement. Attunement to affect, accurate identification of affect, regulation of arousal states, availability and empathic responsiveness will be demonstrated in the context of group psychotherapy.

Demonstration-didactic-sharing of work experiences-experiential

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify the instinctive process of care-seeking as it manifests in individual psychotherapy.

2. Compare typical care-seeking styles and typical care-giving responses and the associated patterns of interaction.

3. Review the process of goal-corrected empathic interaction between leader and member in the context of a group.

Course References:

1. McCluskey, U. (2005). To Be Met as a Person: The dynamics of attachment in professional encounters. London: Karnac Books.

2. McCluskey, U. (2002). The Dynamics of Attachment and Systems-Cantered Group Psychotherapy. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, APA 6, 131-142.

3. Heard, D. (2003). Extended Attachment Theory as a Guide when working with Families. In M. Bell & K. Wilson (Eds.). The Practitioner's Guide to Working with Families,. London & New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 85-102.