Therapeutic progress and symptom elevation in treating dismissive attachment: A case study. Issue 1 (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reynolds, Natasha L.; Rupert, David; Sandage, Steven J.
• Is Part Of: Psychodynamic practice. Volume 25:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 5
• Page End: 19
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: attachment -- avoidant -- dismissive -- case study -- psychodynamic therapy -- treatment monitoring; Psychodynamic psychotherapy -- Periodicals; 361.06
• DOI: 10.1080/14753634.2018.1562363
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-3634

Abstract

Abstract : A dismissive or avoidant attachment style can present clinical challenges in psychotherapy as the attachment style may interfere with the development of a constructive therapeutic alliance and impact the level of disclosure, expressions of distress, and risks for premature drop-out. This paper reports a naturalistic case study and offers an in-depth examination of a treatment with a client with dismissive attachment, including a detailed examination of relational interventions and countertransference struggles. Furthermore, this paper considers the notable differences between quantitative scores on a well-validated, practice-based clinical symptom inventory and the qualitative outcomes for this client to offer clinical and research implications in treatment with dismissive attachment.