1. Attachment Organization and Intervention: Roundtable Questions and Thoughts Joe Allen University of Virginia Copies of related papers are available at: WWW.TEENRESEARCH.ORG

2. Overarching Question How should interventions differ depending on the particular attachment organization of a given parent or adolescent? How should interventions differ depending on the particular attachment organization of a given parent or adolescent? Caveat: Hypothesis-generation NOT Research Conclusions Caveat: Hypothesis-generation NOT Research Conclusions

3. Working with Parent Attachment States of Mind Key Point: Parent and Teen Attachment Organizations are NOT necessarily the same. Key Point: Parent and Teen Attachment Organizations are NOT necessarily the same. Why general parenting advice fails Why general parenting advice fails Dismissing Parents – Overemphasizing distance Dismissing Parents – Overemphasizing distance Preoccupied Parents – Overemphasizing immaturity Preoccupied Parents – Overemphasizing immaturity Unresolved Parents – Paralyzed by Fear Unresolved Parents – Paralyzed by Fear

4. Working with Parent Attachment States of Mind What Works: What Works: Recognizing the emotional FUNCTION of Attachment Organization Recognizing the emotional FUNCTION of Attachment Organization Dismissing Parents Dismissing Parents Seeing their teen’s desire to connect Seeing their teen’s desire to connect Preoccupied Parents Preoccupied Parents Boundaries Boundaries Push for Competence Push for Competence Unresolved Parents Unresolved Parents Identifying their points of control Identifying their points of control

5. Working with Adolescent Attachment States of Mind Secure Teens Secure Teens Ideal for time-limited treatments (CBT, etc.) Ideal for time-limited treatments (CBT, etc.) Dismissing Teens: Dismissing Teens: The ‘reel-in’ process The ‘reel-in’ process Preoccupied Teens: Preoccupied Teens: Overly ‘natural’ therapy participants Overly ‘natural’ therapy participants Providing verbal/semantic clarity Providing verbal/semantic clarity Unresolved/Traumatized Teens: Unresolved/Traumatized Teens: Establishing Control in 3 ways Establishing Control in 3 ways

6. Conclusions Insecure Attachment Insecure Attachment ≠ Psychopathology No one to one mapping No one to one mapping Same Disorder, Different attachment organizations Same Disorder, Different attachment organizations Beyond “One Size Fits All!” Therapies Beyond “One Size Fits All!” Therapies Copies of related papers are available at: WWW.TEENRESEARCH.ORG