When a person struggles with maintaining healthy relationships, it could result in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. This is where Attachment-Based Therapy comes into play in addiction treatment with co-occurring disorders. Humans are born with a natural need for attachment, and how a caregiver responds to this need for attachment contributes to how we maintain relationships as adults.
Every client’s story is different. Despite this, it is almost certain that an individual struggling with addiction has damaged or strained personal relationships. Attachment-Based Therapy is a short-term counseling method that aims to improve a client’s ability to rebuild or develop trust in their relationships. This includes developing a trusted connection within the client-therapist relationship in order to effectively express emotions. In Attachment-Based Therapy, clients will learn how to recognize what’s happening in their own mind while being able to distinguish that from what’s happening in the minds of others. Through this type of therapy method, clients will be able to work through the psychological processes in the brain that have prevented them from forming solid relationships.
