How To Successfully Identify And Treat Attachment Insecurities In Children And Adults

By Author: Tony Novissimo
Total Articles: 17
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One of the most difficult behavioural problems to identify and treat, especially among young children, is aggression and although any young child sometimes gets angry for some reason or acts differently and disobedient, research has shown that abused and adopted children are more prone to behavioural problems, compared to children that are raised in normal households.

It is, however, not only abused or adopted children who can develop behavioural problems but also often children who are raised too attached or too bound. A child's first attachment experiences with his primary caregiver (in most cases his biological parents) can also determine his or her behaviour later in life.

Therefore, for a child to form healthy physical and emotional relationships, that initial or first interaction between parent and child is extremely important but should be very well balanced as any form of detachment during that stage, could have serious consequences.

What is attachment parenting?

Mothers who tune their whole being to their baby and blindly follow their maternal instinct are often the cause of attachment disorder ...
... in children. Attachment parenting is a parenting philosophy based on the fact that a parent forms a very strong bond with the baby from birth and equips him or her emotions so that he or she can one day reach their full potential as an adult.

However, two of the most important aspects that are at issue here are balance and harmony and although attachment parenting has many benefits for the child, it is important for a parent not to go overboard.

It is therefore extremely important that further investigation is initiated as soon as a child starts to show signs of behavioural changes as a result of attachment parenting because untreated behavioural problems could later become more serious. Children with attachment issues require professional treatment by a qualified attachment therapist.

Psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia or mood disorders such as bipolar disorder or even attachment issues can also lead to aggressive behaviour in children. It has been found that children with autism, brain injuries, ADHD, attachment issues and other behavioural disorders can act more aggressively and when this behaviour occurs, professional and specialised help (and sometimes medication) are needed to effectively address the mental disorder.

How does attachment therapy in children work?

Attachment therapy is a holistic approach that looks at the child as a whole and therapy is usually aimed at targeting the child’s feelings, thoughts, behaviour, interpersonal exchanges, and communication abilities, which the child has either learned to avoid or suppress, or to overemphasize and amplify because of early attachment experiences.

Fortunately, there are many ways to overcome attachment insecurity and a qualified and experienced attachment therapist with expertise in attachment theory, can help a child become mentally healthy again.
Attachment disorder can have many causes (of which bed-sharing is one)and therapy by an attachment therapist is therefore aimed at successfully treating a child that suffers from reactive attachment disorder – sometimes in a playroom. Children can also easily become attached to material things or persons, but through therapy, the therapist will seek and explore methods to repair the traumatised child's attachment relationships and subsequently promote healthy attachment.

Attachment disorder is however not something that only occurs in children, and many adults also suffer from attachment issues and may have trouble letting go of certain things or people. Not all disorders in children (or adults) should be seen as attachment disorders and because there are so many identified behavioural- or mood disorders, it is essential to first determine the nature and possible cause of the disorder, and for that, the help of professionals is usually enlisted.

About Us

For nearly two decades, Tony Novissimo has been practising as a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor in the UK. After founding the London Therapy Foundation in 2010, he went on to become the director of Low-Cost Counselling London. Novissimo Counselling in Warwickshire and Richmond-Upon-Thames is his practice from where he provides private and confidential counselling and psychotherapy sessions to treat various conditions including depression, anxiety, addictions, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anger management and many more. Sessions can either be delivered in person, online or telephonically. Having a session with Novissimo Counselling will give you a new take on life and allow you time and space to reflect and recover. The aim is to work towards recovery and during the sessions. Novissimo Counselling is an excellent resource to help you understand your condition and the implications it has for you, to place it within the context of your life and relationships and to help you develop appropriate strategies for dealing with it. For more information, visit their website at https://www.novissimocounselling.co.uk.