Attachment Theory and Research in Clinical Work with Adults

by Obegi, Joseph H.; Berant, Ety

• ISBN13: 9781606239285
• ISBN10: 1606239287
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-06-09
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Written with the practicing psychotherapist in mind, this invaluable book presents cutting-edge knowledge on adult attachment and explores the implications for day-to-day clinical practice. Leading experts illustrate how theory and research in this dynamic area can inform assessment, case formulation, and clinical decision making. The book puts such concepts as the secure base, mentalization, and attachment styles in a new light by focusing on their utility for understanding the therapeutic relationship and processes of change. It offers recommendations for incorporating attachment ideas and tools into specific treatment approaches, with separate chapters on psychoanalytic, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, and emotionally focused therapies.

Author Biography

Joseph H. Obegi, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Davis, California. Previously a lecturer at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego, he taught courses in psychotherapy, chemical dependency, and professional ethics. Dr. Obegi’s recent research has focused on attachment to therapists and the validity of adult attachment scales in clinical populations.

 

Ety Berant, PhD, is on the faculty of the Department of Psychology at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, and has served as the chairperson of the graduate clinical track. She is also a senior clinical psychologist and has practiced and supervised psychotherapy and personality assessment for nearly two decades. Dr. Berant is the chairperson of the Israeli Rorschach Society. Her research interests include attachment styles in adulthood, personality assessment, and therapeutic processes.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Theoretical Foundations
An Overview of Adult Attachment Theory	p. 17
The Therapist as Secure Base	p. 46
Attachment, Mentalization, and Reflective Functioning	p. 71
Clinical Correlates of Adult Attachment Organization	p. 94
Assessing Attachment
Using Interviews to Assess Adult Attachment	p. 121
Self-Report Measures of Adult Attachment in Clinical Practice	p. 153
Attachment Styles, the Rorschach, and the Thematic Apperception Test: Using Traditional Projective Measures to Assess Aspects of Attachment	p. 181
Clinical Utility
Internal Working Models and Change	p. 209
An Attachment Approach to Adult Psychotherapy	p. 234
Transference and Attachment	p. 269
Attachment-Related Defensive Processes	p. 293
An Attachment Perspective on Crying in Psychotherapy	p. 328
Integration with Clinical Approaches
Adult Psychotherapy from the Perspectives of Attachment Theory and Psychoanalysis	p. 351
An Interpersonal Approach to Attachment and Change	p. 379
Attachment Theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy for Individuals and Couples: Perfect Partners	p. 410
Attachment Theory and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy	p. 434
Future Directions
Attachment-Informed Psychotherapy Research with Adults	p. 461
From Attachment Research to Clinical Practice: Getting It Together	p. 490
Index	p. 515
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