Returning to my discussion of the APSAC report, let me begin by responding to a question about where to obtain a copy of this report. It is available for purchase here.


A listing of the recommendations of the report can be found on the ATTACh website, here.


The end of the report discusses the disconnect between proponents and critics of attachment therapy. While critics are quick to respond to sensationalized cases of “attachment therapy gone wrong”, proponents maintain those cases involved therapists on the fringe, not practicing attachment therapy as it has evolved today; parents who were excusing their own abusive actions by shifting the focus to therapists; parents who were well-meaning but misinterpreted or inappropriately applied a therapeutic technique; or a few variations of those themes. Proponents make note of the fact that critics have never really seen true, current attachment therapy as it is practiced today.


Several paragraphs in the report discuss the lack of scientific data on the benefits of attachment therapy, and points out many therapists rely on “what they see clinically and qualitatively and the testimonials of their clients.”


Criticism is aimed at therapists and treatment facilities that “target” foster and adoptive parents and case workers in their marketing strategies. It is believed the targeted population is not fully capable of evaluating the appropriateness or efficacy of the therapy being promoted. Parents and caseworkers respond with the mantra many of us have come to believe to the core of our souls… that unless you have parented a child with an attachment disorder, you cannot fully understand the dynamics. The report states:

Proponents seem to place great importance on their view that they are treating or parenting children who are seriously disturbed, and that they have special personal knowledge about these children and the struggles involved in raising them that outsiders do not.

I refer the reader to the list of recommendations found on the ATTACh website, and when I return from church camp this weekend, I will start back at the beginning of this series of posts and share some of my thoughts on the report.