0141 - Redeveloping Secure Adult Attachments: A Journey of Awareness, Mourning and Change
Course Description
Hours: 12
Relationships with caregivers in the early years have a profound influence on an adult’s self-perceptions, perception of others and his/her capacity for intimate relationships. Adults with secure attachments and healthy mutual adult relationships usually have had consistent nurturing and care from parents or caregivers. Yet adults with a history of inconsistent parenting, rejection or even severe neglect and abuse can redevelop their capacity for secure attachments in adulthood. By understanding the impact of early childhood experiences on their personality development and present relationships, mourning the losses and longings from these early child/parent relationships and developing a non-judgmental stance in exploring their patterns, adults can develop greater security.
This course will present a model of therapy and interventions for therapists to help clients recognize their unconscious models of relationships, to develop greater security through the therapeutic relationship and to risk new and healthy interactive patterns in present relationships. The therapist/counsellor’s awareness of her/his own attachment is important in the work with clients.
This course will be of interest to: Experienced service practitioners working with adults in individual therapy, marriage and family and parent work, such as counsellors, social workers, social service workers, psychologists and other professionals providing psychotherapy.
The course will include information on:
- a brief review of attachment theory
- adult attachment categories
- assessing adult attachment
- the neurobiology of adult attachment
- mental health categories from attachment theory perspective
- attachment based model of individual adult therapy
- mourning early longings and losses
- the reparative process of the therapeutic relationship
- risking change in everyday life
Case examples, videos and role playing will be presented to demonstrate the interventions.
Notes
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
Applies Towards the Following Certificates
- Counselling Techniques Certificate : Counselling Techniques
This course has already taken place for the current academic year (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025).
The 2025/2026 Faculty of Social Work Professional Development course dates will be posted on this website on July 3, 2025.