How Family Therapy Can Help You Build a Healthy Attachment with Your Child

The relationship you develop with your child is a crucial predictor of his successful development. All children form attachments with their caregivers in the first few years of life, and this attachment is representative of how the child feels about her caregivers. According to North Dakota State University, “the way in which a parent responds to and interacts with a young child is the key factor in how an attachment develops.” This means how you react to your child’s behavior has a long-term impact on your relationship and his ability to develop healthy coping habits.

The two main types of attachment are known as secure and insecure. Secure attachment represents a healthy relationship between yourself and your child and is evident in children who:

Insecure attachment signifies a strained relationship between a child and her caregiver. This style of attachment can result from inconsistent parental responses or parents who are not attuned to their child’s needs. Signs of an insecure attachment include:

Many parents, especially those raising their first child, are not aware that their manner of response to their child’s behavior can influence the child’s sense of security and ability to succeed socially later in life. There are, in fact, numerous variables that predict the type of attachment a child will develop with their caregivers and it is difficult to identify and address these variables alone. Family therapy can help by pinpointing the interactions that influence attachment and establishing a plan to teach parents how to effectively respond to a child’s needs. To learn how you can develop a health attachment with your child, contact us here.