Attachment as a Base for Family and Couple Therapy

All families have attachments; some may be secure, others insecure, and family and marital therapists inevitably have to relate to these. This paper discusses ways in which the therapist can establish a temporary secure base within therapy, which helps families to feel safe enough to explore new ways of relating. The overall aim is to help them to create a more secure family or couple base at home, from which they can explore new solutions during and after therapy. A new school of therapy is not proposed as therapists can also use their own approaches when a secure therapeutic base is established.