Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy [Paperback]

Susan M. Johnson EdD (Editor), Valerie E. Whiffen PhD (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1593852924 | ISBN-13: 978-1593852924 | Edition: 1

This practical book presents cutting-edge approaches to couple and family therapy that use attachment theory as the basis for new clinical understandings. Fresh and provocative insights are provided on the nature of interactions between adult partners and among parents and children; the role of attachment in distressed and satisfying relationships; and the ways attachment-oriented interventions can address individual problems as well as marital conflict and difficult family transitions. With contributions from leading clinicians and researchers, the volume offers both general strategies and specific techniques for helping clients build stronger, more supportive relational bonds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For decades, the family therapy field seemed addicted to the idea that families and couples operate like machines. Fortunately, attachment theory has come on the scene of late to give couple and family therapists a secure conceptual base for understanding what is fundamental to close, committed relationships. Johnson and Whiffen's outstanding new book organizes the best of what is known about attachment theory and family therapy, and will serve as a springboard for creative new developments in this important area for a long time to come."--Alan S. Gurman, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin Medical School

"Johnson and Whiffen should be commended for providing a remarkable resource for couple and family therapists and researchers alike. This book brings together a stellar set of contributions offering a unique blend of basic scholarship and creative application. The result is essential reading for graduate students and a 'must-have' handbook for clinicians of all theoretical persuasions. Readers will find a theoretical framework for the field of couple and family therapy that is comprehensive, data-based, and integrative. I enthusiastically recommend this volume to anyone interested in couple and family functioning or strategies of intervention."--Steven R. H. Beach, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia

"This impressive volume provides a theory-rich account of human attachment bonds and the development and treatment of relationship problems. It draws together leading researchers and clinicians in the areas of developmental psychology, social psychology, and couple and family therapy. The contributors offer new insights into the links among emotional experience, relationship behavior, and individual adjustment, together with valuable techniques for strengthening intimate relationships."--Judith A. Feeney, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia

"This book has been an excellent addition to my training curriculum. As a text in a graduate-level marriage and family therapy training seminar, the book provides students with an essential theoretical foundation for understanding the manifestation of attachment dynamics in a clinical setting. Its coverage of diverse clinical applications and populations is invaluable to the students as they work to integrate theory and practice."--Craig W. Smith, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

About the Author

Susan M. Johnson, EdD, is Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Ottawa Couple and Family Institute, Ottawa, Canada. Widely published, she is the main proponent of emotionally focused couple and family therapy, which she teaches extensively in North America and internationally. In 2005, she received the Distinguished Contribution to Family Systems Research Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. The website for Dr. Johnson's work is www.eft.ca.

Valerie E. Whiffen, PhD, Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, has published widely in the area of depression, particularly focusing on women's depression. In recent publications, she has explored an attachment theory-based understanding of depression that co-occurs with marital distress. Dr. Whiffen teaches graduate courses in adult psychopathology and interpersonal theory, and supervises the clinical work of practicum students and interns in the American Psychological Association-accredited clinical psychology program at the University of Ottawa. She is a registered clinical psychologist and maintains a private practice specializing in the treatment of depression and marital distress.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 411 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593852924
• ISBN-13: 978-1593852924
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting & helpful, October 11, 2008

By 

J. Webb "wisdom finder" (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy (Paperback)

Johnson's edited book was both interesting in its compilation of various topics related to attachment and also very helpful in understanding attachment from birth to death and all points in between. My only criticism is the heavy emphasis on research rather than on the ground understanding and a great deal of overlap between chapters.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for relational therapists, October 27, 2007

By 

LSB "Inspiring Change" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy (Paperback)

Yes, this book is a collection of essays on attachment and relational therapy. But they are fabulous articles, and well written, with the research to back them up. I read this book twice, and it sits on the shelf with the other key resources I refer to regularly in my practice as a MFT. I recommend this book to any counselor who works with marriages, parents and children/teens, and other close relationships where issues of attachment and connection reside.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much unusable theory, July 3, 2006

By 

Dr. John Laughlin (Glenn Dale, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy (Paperback)

A great disappointment unless you want to read boring research papers that are in this volume because somewhere in their text is the word "attachment." Johnson's articles are the best and clearest and least weighed down with tedious references, and distracting jargon. Like a lot of these compiled books this is are an assemby of journal articles from university types who use the least clearest way ro write to make it sould professional. Reading legal briefs is as clear. Many of the chapters will tell you little or nothing about couple therpy or aid you in your practice.