Systemic Therapy and Narratives of Attachment

Abstract

This chapter will outline an attachment narrative approach to working with couples in systemic psychotherapy. Rudi Dallos and I have been working for over 20 years to integrate modern attachment theory, narrative theory and trauma theory into systemic theory and practice with individuals, couples, families and with supervision of therapeutic practice (Dallos and Vetere, Systemic therapy and attachment narratives: Applications across a range of clinical settings. Routledge, London, 2009; Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry, 19, 494–502, 2014; Human Syst, 28, 55–71, 2017). Such integration leads to powerful intergenerational explanations of distress and resilience in family members’ relationships. Crucially, integrative formulation makes clearer to all participants in the therapy how to understand and resolve loss and hurt and how to heal and repair relationships within a collaborative framework. It is with such integrative formulations that we, as practitioners, can hold ourselves ethically accountable for our thinking and practice to all those involved in the therapeutic work (Vetere, J Fam Ther, 28, 388–391, 2006).