Attachment and Dynamic Practice: An Integrative Guide for Social Workers and Other Clinicians

Contemporary attachment theory both enriches our understanding of human development and informs clinical practice. Examining the relational bonds between young children and their caregivers, it traces its origins to several scientific and social fields, most notably psychoanalysis, social work, behaviorism, ethology, evolutionary theory, and biology.

The first portion of this book examines attachment theory and its relationship to other psychodynamic theories of development and then discusses the landmark contributions of John Bowlby, the "father" of modern attachment theory. The section concludes with a detailed summary of research on attachment, highlighting the work of Mary Ainsworth, Mary Main, Allan Sroufe, and Peter Fonagy. The second portion focuses on clinical applications with children, adolescents, and adults. Brief vignettes and lengthier case illustrations consider a verity of attachment disorders and treatment approaches, paying special attention to clinical method and technique, process dimensions, and transference and countertransference phenomena. Cases are set in a range of treatment venues, such as college and family counseling service, community mental health centers, and private practice, and involve an ethnoculturally and clinically diverse clientele.

Jerrold R. Brandell (Author)
Jerrold Brandell is Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Brandell is the author, coauthor, or editor/coeditor of thirteen books, including Narration and Therapeutic Action: The Construction of Meaning in Psychoanalytic Social Work (Routledge, 2017); Of Mice and Metaphors: Therapeutic Storytelling with Children, Second Edition (Sage Press, 2016), Essentials of Clinical Social Work (Sage, 2014); Theory and Practice in Clinical Social Work (Sage, 2011); Psychodynamic Social Work (Columbia University Press, 2004); Attachment and Dynamic Practice (Columbia University Press, 2007); Celluloid Couches, Cinematic Clients: Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in the Movies (SUNY Press, 2004); and Countertransference in Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents (Jason Aronson, 1992).

Shoshana Ringel (Author)
Shoshana Ringel is associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She is the coauthor of 'Advanced Social Work Practice' (CUP 2009) and 'Attachment Theory and Dynamic Practice' (CUP 2007).