Connecting with Kids Through Stories: Using Narratives to Facilitate Attachment in Adopted Children Second Edition

Adopted children whose early development has been altered by abuse or neglect may form negative beliefs about themselves and parents, and may resist connecting with others. This book outlines how therapeutic stories can help children to heal and develop healthy attachments. With a thorough theoretical grounding, the book demonstrates how to create therapeutic stories that improve relationships, heal past trauma, and change problem behaviour. The story of a fictional family that develops its own narratives to help their adopted child heal illustrates the techniques. This second edition includes updated research on attachment, trauma and the developmental process; a new chapter on parental attunement and regulation; and a new chapter with full length samples of a variety of narrative types. The gentle and non-intrusive techniques in this book will be highly beneficial for children with attachment difficulties. This guide will be an invaluable resource for parents of adopted children and the professionals working with them.

Melissa Nichols is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in treating children who have experienced abandonment, neglect, and abuse early in life. She is based at the Family Attachment and Counseling Center, Minnesota, USA.

Denise B. Lacher, M.A., a licensed psychologist, is Director of Attachment Programs at the Family Attachment and Counseling Center of Minnesota. Denise joined the Center in 1994 after obtaining her Masters degree in psychology and has presented nationally on the subject of attachment. She has extensive training in attachment theory and the treatment of attachment disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Joanne C. May is a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist. She founded the Family Attachment and Counseling Center of Minnesota after completing her doctorate in clinical psychology in 1989. Joanne is codeveloper of the Child Behavior Rating Scale and has presented extensively on the diagnosis and treatment of children with attachment difficulties.

Todd Nichols, M.A. is Executive Director of the Family Attachment and Counseling Center. He is the co-developer of the Child Behavior Rating Scale, a proprietary instrument to measure changes in behaviour. Todd Nichols has been President of the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children since 2001.