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Attachments past and present: Implications for therapeutic intervention with mother-infant dyads

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Martha Farrell Erickson ,
Jon Korfmacher  and
Byron R. Egeland
Martha Farrell Erickson*
Affiliation:
Project STEEP, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Jon Korfmacher
Affiliation:
Project STEEP, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Byron R. Egeland
Affiliation:
Project STEEP, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Martha Farrell Erickson, Project STEEP, N548 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
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Abstract

Theory and research on parent-infant attachment and on adult representations of past relationships suggest several possible themes and approaches for therapeutic intervention with parent-infant dyads. These include strategies aimed at increasing the parent's insight into the connection between past and present relationships and enhancing the parent's understanding of the child's needs and feelings, as well as the use of the therapeutic alliance to help the parent move toward more positive working models of self and others. Project STEEP (Steps Toward Effective, Enjoyable Parenting), an ongoing study of the effectiveness of preventive intervention with new mothers, provides one model of therapeutic intervention built on attachment theory and research.

Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , October 1992 , pp. 495 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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