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Attachment Disorder Site
Treatment
It is prudent to start researching for yourself the types of effective and ethical treatment these special children. I have attempted to help you in this by giving you some good links to start out with. I urge you to move on to the Reference Library and find a few books, videos and audiotapes that address this issue. Specialized parenting techniques and therapy are critical pieces in the healing process.
Differences
Between Attachment
Therapy and Traditional Therapy
By Arleta James, MA
| ATTACHMENT THERAPY |
TRADITIONAL THERAPY |
| "Fix the Foundation" |
"Build the House" on a cracked foundation. |
| Family is the primary healing resource. If we trust the family with the child, then we should trust the family with the child's history. | Child is seen alone by professional. Information is not always shared with the family. |
| Parents set behavioral goals. | Child assists in behavioral goal setting. |
| Corrective Attachment Parenting | Token Economies |
| "Giving Child the Words". Not talking about the child's issues says, "What happened to you is so bad that even we grown-ups can't talk about it". It is less traumatizing to talk about the child's issues than to let the child live with the issues. | Wait for the child to talk about issues. |
| Quick to switch to different strategies. | Continue with more of the same. |
| "Heal the Pathology" | "Diagnose and Medicate" |
| Limited use of auxiliary services. Wraparound often takes the child away from the family. Too many adults are involved in the child's life who are on a different page, working on behavioral goals without working on issues, often providing rewards the parents are not in favor of, the least skilled people provide the most amount of services (i.e., TSS). | Overuse of Auxiliary Services. |
Dyadic
Developmental Psychotherapy
an Attachment-Based Therapy Program
by
Arthur Becker-Weidman, Ph.D.
Dyadic
Developmental Psychotherapy: What it is and What it isn't
by Arthur Becker-Weidman, Ph.D.
Attachment
Therapy
by Nancy Thomas
Beginning
Attachment Therapy:
A Parent's Guide to Asking Questions
by Jean MacLeod
Treatment
for Children with Trauma-Attachment Disorders:
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
Dyadic
Developmental Psychotherapy
By Kim Cross LSCSW
Kansas Attachment Center
A
Word About Therapists
by Nancy Geoghegan
It is important to find a therapist that can be effective in bringing the whole family together to work toward healing. We all suffer - the child with attachment disorder, the parents and the siblings. A good therapist knows this and helps us work through all of the issues we may have and teaches us how to effectively parent our sick children as well as how to take care of ourselves and the others in the family. Here are some guidelines that I would use when choosing a good therapist:
There is a national organization of individuals called ATTACh - Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children. Membership in this group would be a good sign. This group is open to parents as well and they offer excellent yearly conferences that I think every parent of a child who suffers from RAD should attend at least once.
The therapist should see the parent(s) as their partner in the healing process. The parents should be included during the sessions.
The therapist should work very hard to teach the parent(s) therapeutic parenting techniques, validate their feelings and support them. The child should never be allowed to triangulate among the adults in his life and the therapist should be aware that they will try. They should also be aware of the child's strong need for control and know how to stay in control of the sessions.
A good therapist will also realize that there may be other disorders such as Sensory Integration Disorder or Bipolar that may co-exist with the attachment disorder. They should know how to direct the parent to the proper interventions and/or medications to help in the healing process.
The therapist should be hopeful that positive change can be achieved in the life of a child with attachment disorder. They also need to help the parents adjust their expectations - not lower, but adjust. This is often very hard for those of us that thought we were adopting a child who only needed love and time to adjust.
A good therapist will challenge the child to work hard on their life while maintaining respect for them as a person.
Take a look at our treatment links for more information.
Serving the living God.
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Last updated on
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Any information on the Attachment Disorder Site does not replace professional advice. This site is my attempt to pass on my knowledge from reading and learning everything I could find on this issue so that I could help our son and maybe help others who are walking this same path.
The resources on this entire site are provided for your personal perusal. I have no way to guarantee the accuracy or appropriateness of any information or advice for a particular situation. Nothing on the Attachment Disorder Site constitutes medical, legal or other professional advice and I assume no liability or responsibility for any diagnosis, treatment, decision made, or action taken in reliance upon information contained on these sites including any sites linked to it or your use of the Internet.
Permission must be granted by Nancy Geoghegan to use any part of this site. Feel free to email me to discuss this matter.
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