0701 - Who Did I Need to Become?: Understanding Attachment Through an Internal Family Systems Lens
Course Description
Hours: 12
At its heart, this workshop explores a simple but profound question:
Who did I need to become to stay connected – and who might I become when those old adaptations are no longer necessary?
Attachment theory helps us understand how our earliest relationships shape an internal map of ourselves, others and the world around us. Experiences of safety, delight, dependency, rupture and repair influence what we come to expect from relationships and what we learn is required to maintain connection.
If attachment theory helps us understand the relational environment, Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps us understand how we adapted to it.
Moving beyond attachment labels, this workshop explores the radical idea that we are not defined by a single attachment style. Different parts of us may carry different expectations, fears and strategies, each developed in service of safety and belonging.
Drawing from attachment theory, Internal Family Systems, developmental trauma and relational neuroscience, participants will explore how these adaptations develop and how healing occurs through experiences of safety, attunement, rupture and repair, grief and self-leadership.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand attachment as a process of relational learning rather than a fixed personality style.
- Describe how early experiences shape internal working models of self, others and relationships.
- Explore the question, "Who did I need to become to stay connected?" as a framework for understanding adaptation.
- Utilize the therapeutic relationship as a source of co-regulation, repair and earned secure attachment.
- Integrate attachment-informed and IFS-informed principles into assessment, case conceptualization and treatment planning.
- Move beyond labels and pathology toward a compassionate understanding of adaptation and resilience.
Notes
Time Zone: All listed class times are held in ET (Ontario, Canada)
For more information contact the Faculty of Social Work Professional Development office:
Email: fswprofessionaldevelopment@wlu.ca
Phone: 548-889-4967
Cancellations and Transfers
Be sure to carefully review our cancellation and transfer information before registering.
Website: wlu.ca/fswpd