Back-to-School Time
August means back-to-school season for many of us! Shopping for school supplies, new clothes, new shoes, and backpacks can all feel very exciting, and this season may also be filled with lots of complicated, challenging emotions. While parents may be excited for a return to more structure, routine, and possibly even the occasional peace and quiet, many kiddos (and maybe parents too) can experience a very different response.
Understanding Attachment
You may have come across the terms “attachment style” or “attachment theory” at some point in your child’s, or even your own, therapy journey. However, you may not have a thorough understanding about what attachment actually means. Attachment theory was first developed in the mid-1940s by psychologist and psychiatrist John Bowlby and was later expanded upon with research conducted by psychologist Mary Ainsworth. A simple definition of attachment is “an emotional bond with another person.” (Buescher, 2022) Simply put, “attachment style” refers to the different ways in which we connect and develop emotional bonds with other human beings. Since attachment can be a focal point of the therapeutic process, I want to dive into this topic a little deeper.
