Attachment theory is influencing how we understand interpersonal relationships and how psychotherapy can help facilitate change for those struggling in relationships. More recently, researchers and clinicians have applied attachment theory to group treatment, one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy to address interpersonal difficulties.
This book highlights some of the bridges between attachment theory and contemporary approaches to group treatment. In addition to applying attachment theory to innovative treatments, each chapter addresses a specific way in which attachment impacts the members’ capacity for empathy and perspective taking; the development of cohesion in the group; the automatic fight-flight response during group interactions; members’ ability to tolerate diversity; and the leaders’ capacity to foster safety within the group. This book will help group leaders gain a richer understanding of attachment theory and attachment based techniques that will ultimately benefit their groups. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.
Introduction – Attachment in Group Psychotherapy: Bridging Theories, Research, and Clinical Techniques Cheri L. Marmarosh
1. Augmenting the Sense of Attachment Security in Group Contexts: The Effects of a Responsive Leader and a Cohesive Group Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. Shaver
2. Mentalizing, Attachment, and Epistemic Trust in Group Therapy Peter Fonagy, Chloe Campbell and Anthony Bateman
3. Group Psychotherapy as a Neural Exercise: Bridging Polyvagal Theory and Attachment Theory Philip J. Flores and Stephen W. Porges
4. Attachment Anxiety and Attachment Avoidance: Members’ Attachment Fit with Their Group and Group Relationships Dennis M. Kivlighan, Jr., Gianluca Lo Coco, Salvatore Gullo, Chiara Pazzagli and Claudia Mazzeschi
5. Feeling Worse Before Feeling Better: A Case of Increased Disorganized Mental States Following Group Psychotherapy Giorgio A. Tasca, Hilary Maxwell, Megan Faye and Louise Balfour
6. Establishing a Secure Base to Increase Exploration of Diversity in Groups Joseph R. Miles and Brent Mallinckrodt
7. Attachment and Interpersonal Theory and Group Therapy: Two Sides of the Same Coin Martyn Whittingham
8. Commentary: How Understanding Attachment Enhances Group Therapist Effectiveness Molyn Leszcz
Biography
Cheri L. Marmarosh is a licensed psychologist and Associate Professor of Professional Psychology at George Washington University, USA. She has published numerous empirical and theoretical articles that focus on how group and individual therapy facilitate change and is the author of Attachment in Group Psychotherapy (with Markin and Spiegel, 2013). She is an associate editor of Psychotherapy and a Fellow of the American Psychology Association, Division 29 (Psychotherapy) and Division 49 (Group Psychotherapy). She has a private practice in Washington, DC.
