Digital Commons @ SPU

Integration of systemic family therapy and attachment-focused approach with adoptive families: Impacts on attachment in child-parent interactions

Attachment deficits are prevalent among adoptive children especially after their first year in adoption (van den Dries, 2009). While treatment with the focus on the attachment needs of adopted children and adoptive parents’ attunement has been increasingly discussed, not much has been researched on the effectiveness of the family systems approach, including the exploration of the parents’ emotional experiences around adoption. In addition, more studies that strictly focus on treating adoptive children’s attachment issues after their first year of adoption are needed. By incorporating the Taking Care of Adoption (TCA) model, which is based on the integration of a family systems approach and attachment theory, this research will recruit 40 adoptive families for a ten-week treatment and hopes to shine light on the needs to explore the adoptive parents’ emotional experiences on the adoption issues to secure an increased attachment in their parent-child relationship.