Understanding Trauma through an Attachment lens

Please note that all registrations have to be paid in full before the event takes place - otherwise you will miss out on receiving the Zoom link. This is a two part workshop: Part 1 on 24th March, Part 2 on 31st March, from 9.00am -12.00pm. Registration covers both days.

This event will be recorded for all those who are registered but can't make it on the day - recordings are available for a limited time (3 weeks) only.

In this two-part workshop we will be examining trauma through an attachment lens. Originally attachment theory was a trauma-based psychopathology model but in recent years it is understood as a regulatory theory. Bessel van der Kolk, in his summary of 50 years of trauma research, noted that the least researched dimension of trauma is the role attachment plays. He said the questions in the field of trauma research have shifted from ‘what happened to you’ to ‘who was there for you’. Diane Poole Heller says the shortest definition of attachment is attunement. Attachment is defined as a system of emotional as well as nervous system regulation between organisms (parent/caregiver to child or therapist to client). Over the course of both these days, you will come to understand how a felt sense of safety is necessary for recovering from trauma and how certain practices can re-regulate the client’s nervous system when they are in a continuous state of dysregulation or once they are triggered.

Part 1- March 24^th, 2024

In this first part we will examine how unsafe attachment experiences (active abuse or passive neglect) can activate alarm and dysregulation which, if not healed, calmed and repaired, can lead to long term dissociation, addictions (self-soothing to numb) and other attacking outcomes. We will learn how the negative impact of traumatic attachments on brain development and infant mental health can predispose client’s to posttraumatic stress disorders, traumatic attachment dynamics, inefficient brain regulatory functions, and maladaptive infant and adult mental health. The Te Whare Tapa Wha model will be used to frame a holistic approach to understanding and healing attachment-based trauma.

Part 2 – March 31st 2024

In this second part we will examine the role of the therapist in becoming the co-regulator of emotional experiences that were too overwhelming for the client to face alone in the past. We will examine the current debate of whether a client can only develop earned secure attachment from another person (caregiver or therapist) or are there innate abilities that lead to healing attachment whether in therapy or alone. Suggestions for therapeutic interventions for working with clients suffering from PTSD and complex developmental trauma from an attachment and a neuroscience informed approach will be presented. Expressive therapies as well as relational healing insights will be offered for counsellors to incorporate into their current practices. 

PRESENTER: Dr. RUTH LAWSON-MCCONNELL (NZ)

Ruth has more than 30 years of experience counselling adults, children, adolescents and families. She trained in Scotland (PhD in Counselling Psychology), has worked in the UK, Canada and now resides in New Zealand. She was a Senior Lecturer in Counselling for many years and still does adjunct lecturing as well as Professional Development workshops, speaking at conferences and clinical supervision. She is a Professional Associate of the Neufeld Institute where she trained with Dr Gordon Neufeld in his Attachment based Developmental paradigm. She is also a certified Neuro-psychotherapist and has trained in the Partners of Sexual Addicts Trauma Model (APSATS). She specialises in Attachment issues offering counselling to those experiencing relationship difficulties, depression, anxiety and trauma, as well as parent consulting on behavioural and emotional issues in children and adolescents. Ruth has authored several journal articles and enjoys distilling current research into clinical application for mental health practitioners.