Attachment Processes in Couple and Family Therapy

Susan M. Johnson, EdD, until her death in 2024, was Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Distinguished Research Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Alliant International University in San Diego; and Director of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. "Dr. Sue" was the pioneering innovator of emotionally focused therapy (EFT). She published widely, including acclaimed books for professionals, bestselling books for general readers, and numerous articles, book chapters, and teaching videos. Her seminal contributions to couple therapy have been recognized with the Family Psychologist of the Year Award from Division 43 of the American Psychological Association and the Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She was most proud of receiving the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. Valerie E. Whiffen, PhD, Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, has published widely in the area of depression, particularly focusing on women's depression. In recent publications, she has explored an attachment theory-based understanding of depression that co-occurs with marital distress. Dr. Whiffen teaches graduate courses in adult psychopathology and interpersonal theory, and supervises the clinical work of practicum students and interns in the American Psychological Association-accredited clinical psychology program at the University of Ottawa. She is a registered clinical psychologist and maintains a private practice specializing in the treatment of depression and marital distress.

I. Relevance of Attachment Theory for Clinical Practice
1. Introduction to Attachment: A Therapist's Guide to Primary Relationships and Their Renewal, Susan M. Johnson
2. Adult Attachment Theory, Psychodynamics, and Couple Relationships: An Overview, Dory A. Schachner, Phillip R. Shaver, and Mario Mikulincer
3. The Essential Nature of Couple Relationships, Cindy Hazan
4. Stability and Change of Attachment Representations from Cradle to Grave, Elaine Scharfe
5. Alternate Pathways to Competence: Culture and Early Attachment Relationships, Vivian J. Carlson and Robin L. Harwood
II. Models of Clinical Intervention
6. Attachment Theory: A Guide for Couple Therapy, Susan M. Johnson
7. Attachment Processes in Couple Therapy: Informing Behavioral Models, Joanne Davila
8. Caring for the Caregiver: An Attachment Approach to Assessment and Treatment of Child Problems, Roger Kobak and Toni Mandelbaum
9. Creating and Repairing Attachments in Biological, Foster, and Adoptive Families, Terry M. Levy and Michael Orlans
10. Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Depressed Adolescents: Repairing Attachment Failures, Guy S. Diamond and Richard S. Stern
III. Using an Attachment Perspective in Interventions with Particular Populations
11. The First Couple: Using Watch, Wait, and Wonder to Change Troubled Infant-Mother Relationships, Nancy J. Cohen, Elisabeth Muir, and Mirek Lojkasek
12. The Journey of Adolescence: Transitions in Self within the Context of Attachment Relationships, Marlene M. Moretti and Roy Holland
13. Implications of Adult Attachment for Preventing Adverse Marital Outcomes, Rebecca J. Cobb and Thomas N. Bradbury
14. Attachment in Later Life: Implications for Intervention with Older Adults, J. Michael Bradley and Gail Palmer
15. Using an Attachment-Based Intervention with Same-Sex Couples, Gordon J. Josephson
IV. Specific Attachment Interventions for Particular Problems
16. Looking Outward Together: Adult Attachment and Childbearing Depression, Valerie E. Whiffen
17. Understanding the Effects of Child Sexual Abuse History on Current Couple Relationships: An Attachment Perspective, Pamela C. Alexander
18. Attachment and the Experience of Chronic Pain: A Couples Perspective, Samuel F. Mikail
V. Conclusion
19. What Attachment Theory Can Offer Marital and Family Therapists, Valerie E. Whiffen