Course Description:

This three credit hour course explores the science of human connection through the lens of attachment theory, bridging developmental research, neuroscience, and psychotherapy. Participants will examine how early caregiver relationships shape internal working models, emotion regulation, and adult relational patterns. Drawing on contemporary evidence, the course highlights the clinical relevance of attachment across diverse diagnoses—including anxiety, depression, trauma, and personality disorders—and demonstrates how attachment-informed interventions enhance therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes. Topics include Bowlby and Ainsworth’s foundational work, neurobiological mechanisms of bonding, therapist and client attachment styles, and evidence-based approaches such as Attachment-Based Family Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Child-Parent Psychotherapy. Through integrative discussion and applied case examples, mental health professionals will gain practical tools to assess attachment dynamics, repair relational ruptures, and foster secure connections that support long-term healing and resilience.

This course is designed for clinicians seeking to deepen their practice with an attachment-informed lens and to integrate these principles into their work with individuals, couples, and families.

Please review the course materials prior to purchasing the course. Often, individuals will print a copy of the course worksheet to complete while they view the course material. Once you are ready to complete the course, please enroll in the course and complete the course requirements, including the course post-test and course survey. You will receive your certificate automatically for printing or downloading after achieving an 80% or higher on the post-test and completing the course survey. 

Course Text: Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice-From Early Bonds to Therapeutic Healing Course Text.pdf

Course Worksheet: Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice-From Early Bonds to Therapeutic Healing Course Worksheet.pdf

Course Author:   Bryan Glazier, PhD, LMFT, LMHC, FL Qualified MHC/MFT Supervisor 

Course Time/Location: 3 CE Hours, Location: www.directceu.com (web-based, asynchronous/home study) 

Course Text:  Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice: From Early Bonds to Therapeutic Healing (pdf)

Course Board Approval Statement(s): NBCC, Florida Board Approved

Directceu, llc has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7411. directceu, llc maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

directceu, llc (BAP # 50-17578) is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. directceu, llc maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

 Financial Disclosure Statement

directceu, llc is committed to providing our professional colleagues with unbiased information. directceu does not accept commercial support and our course authors have no significant financial interests or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the core principles of attachment theory, including Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s contributions and their relevance to modern clinical practice.
  2. Explain how early caregiving experiences shape internal working models, emotion regulation, and relational functioning across the lifespan.
  3. Identify the neurobiological mechanisms underlying attachment, including oxytocin pathways, stress regulation, and reward circuitry.
  4. Differentiate between secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment patterns in clients and therapists.
  5. Apply attachment-informed strategies to strengthen therapeutic alliances and address rupture and repair processes.
  6. Evaluate the role of attachment insecurity in common DSM-5 disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma-related, and personality disorders.
  7. Integrate evidence-based, attachment-focused interventions (e.g., CPP, ABFT, EFT, MBT) into clinical treatment planning.

Course Syllabus:

Foundations of Attachment Theory 

  1. Historical development: Bowlby, Ainsworth, and key theoretical influences
  2. Ethological, psychoanalytic, and cognitive perspectives
  3. Core concepts: secure base, safe haven, internal working models

Developmental and Neurobiological Foundations

  1. Phases of attachment development
  2. Internal working models: formation, flexibility, and repair
  3. Neurobiology of attachment: oxytocin, dopamine, and stress-regulation systems

Assessment of Attachment

  1. Behavioral and representational measures (SSP, AAI, ECR, ASCT/MCAST)
  2. Clinical indicators of attachment insecurity and disorganization
  3. Case-based assessment practice

 Attachment and Psychopathology

  1. Attachment as a risk and resilience factor in depression, anxiety, trauma, and personality disorders
  2. Intergenerational transmission and early adversity
  3. Clinical implications for formulation and treatment planning

 Attachment in the Therapy Room 

  1. Client and therapist attachment patterns
  2. Impact on therapeutic alliance, transference, and countertransference
  3. Strategies for rupture repair and emotional attunement

 Attachment-Based Interventions 

  1. Overview of evidence-based models: CPP, ABC, ABFT, EFT, MBT, Schema Therapy
  2. Mechanisms of change: sensitivity, reflective functioning, and emotional regulation
  3. Applying attachment principles to diverse clinical populations