Main description:

The applicability of attachment theory and research to social work and social policy relating to infants and children is well-established. Yet, its usefulness for enhancing the understanding of adults and their needs, both individually and as a group, has been less featured in the attachment literature.

Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work Practice is a wide-ranging look at attachment theory and research, its application to adults, and its natural fit with the social work profession. This edited volume covers the applicability of adult attachment theory to the clinical social work profession’s various domains that include human behavior, practice, policy, research, and social work education. It addresses the broad spectrum of clinical social work, including practice in a variety of public and private settings and with a number of diverse populations, including racial-ethnic groups, gays and lesbians, trauma survivors, and child welfare parents. The book highlights the underemphasized contribution of the social work profession to the development of attachment theory and research.

Feature:

Draws clinical examples from the multicultural, diverse, and marginalized adult populations

Features previously unpublished historical information Includes a synthesis of the most recent research in the field on affect regulation

Examines empirically based modes of practice that incorporate an attachment perspective

Chapters include study questions, concept definitions, and class exercises for professors who wish to use the volume as a textbook

Back cover:

As John Bowlby’s studies of human attachment revolutionized developmental psychology in the 1960s, adult attachment concepts have similarly transformed social work in recent years, leading to a generation of innovative attachment-based clinical practice. Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work highlights social work’s contributions to attachment theory and research and the potential of these contributions to enhance clinical practice, inform social policy, and further empirical investigations.

Designed for readers new to adult attachment, as well as those familiar with it, this book examines the current state of the field, reviewing assessment measures and research methods, summarizing new findings and ongoing controversies, and clarifying terms toward a common language. Clinical applications in individual, family, and group contexts are featured, with case examples from various populations and settings demonstrating the practical utility of the theory and its application to cross-cultural treatment. Later chapters move beyond discrete cases to attachment issues that impact society as a whole (e.g., adoption, elder care) and training issues that affect future generations of clinicians. Among the topics covered:

•Separation, loss, and grief in adults •The impact of neurobiology on affect regulation •Applications of attachment concepts to interventions with at-risk families of young children, adolescents, and elder adults •Clinical approaches for hard-to-reach individual clients and adults in group settings •The function of attachment in both familial and professional caregiving •Policy implications of adult attachment relevant to family preservation

Adult Attachment in Clinical Social Work is an essential text, breaking new ground in the attachment literature with immediate relevance for professionals and scholars in clinical social work and related mental health professions.

Contents:

I. Theory Development Regarding Adult Attachment.-The Origins of an Attachment Approach to Social Work Practice with Adults.-Contemporary Theory and Research on Adult Attachment: Where is the Field Today.-Clinical Social Work and Regulation Theory: Implications of Neurobiological Models of Attachment.-II. Applications to Adult Clinical Practice.-Separation, Loss, and Grief in Adults: An Attachment Perspective.-Listening Closely: The Significance of the Therapist’s Voice Intensity, Rhythm, and Tone.-Using a Mentalization-Based Framework to Assist Hard-to-Reach Clients in Individual Treatment.-Attachment and Caregiving for Elders within African American Families.-Attachment in the Family Context: Insights from Development and Clinical Work.-Applications of Attachment Theory to Group Interventions: A Secure Base in Adulthood.-III. Attachment Applications to Policy, Research, and Education.-Policy Implications of Attachment Processes in Adulthood: Caregiving and Family Preservation.-Contributions of Social Workers to Attachment Research.-Implications of Attachment Theory for Social Work Education