Attachment security is connected to a wide range of positive life experiences in everything from educational achievement, to positive mental health, to personal relationships, to better outcomes in therapy. There is evidence that autistic people are less likely to have secure attachments, and more likely to have attachment trauma. If you are working as a therapist with autistic clients, or parenting autistic children, or you are autistic yourself, attachment theory and research can help you to understand why this is, and use that knowledge to support the wellbeing of your clients, loved ones, or yourself.
Some of the earliest theories of autism claimed autistic people were incapable of forming emotional attachments to their caregivers, or even blamed parents for causing children's autism by being emotionally unavailable. We will look at the research evidence which demonstrates that these theories are wrong, but also shows us a complicated picture of autistic people's attachment experiences, and the impact on their wellbeing.
We will use this research evidence in combination with clinical and personal experience to map out some of the implications and practical strategies to support autistic people in experiencing safety and acceptance in relationships, in therapy and in their personal lives.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Explore how the central principles of attachment theory are relevant to the lived experiences of autistic people.
- Learn strategies for fostering trust and intimacy in relationships, as an autistic person, or as the therapist, parent or partner of an autistic person.
- Understand the increased vulnerability of autistic people to interpersonal trauma and attachment disruption, and how this can impact relationships.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Therapists, counsellors or psychologists working with autistic people. Autistic people, and their parents or other loved ones.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- Provide language and strategies for addressing attachment relationships in clinical practice.
Course Content
Presenter
Dr Emma Bede is a Clinical Psychologist with over twenty years of experience working with neurodivergent adults and children in clinical, diagnostic and academic contexts. She works therapeutically with adults of all ages, genders and neurotypes, as well as carrying out formal diagnostic assessments for autism and ADHD, and providing supervision to other therapists. She has been practising mindfulness for twenty years, and uses it as part of her therapeutic work.
