Foster Care Training

This training is an introduction to key concepts in the development of relatedness and attachment in young children. The history of the concept of attachment and early work in the field will be reviewed. The negative effects of maternal deprivation and disrupted early connections to caretakers will be described. Participants will be introduced to the concept of attachment styles and there will be a particular focus on the disorganized/disoriented attachments that are regularly seen in the children served by the child welfare and mental health systems. The complementary states of mind observed in caretakers will be examined and then a case example will be used to illustrate the presence of these issues in live clinical material. Finally, an approach to treatment based on disconfirming relational experience will be discussed.