Abstract
This chapter focuses on the application of Attachment Narrative Therapy (ANT) with children who have an intellectual disability (ID) and their families. Case material illustrates recurring clinical themes including the importance of attuning to parents/carers, helping them to understand and respond to their child’s developmental needs, and exploring the relationship between parents’ attachment histories and the demands of caregiving. Frequently encountered issues such as unresolved grief around diagnosis and the impact of the disability on parents’ hopes for their child are explored. Particular attention is also be paid to working with multiple health and social care systems, in order to provide a ‘secure professional base’ for the family. ANT techniques are described: attachment-informed timelines and genograms, circularities and questions from the Adult Attachment Interview.
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Hudson, M. (2022). Supporting Parents of Children with an Intellectual Disability Using Attachment Narrative Therapy. In: Dallos, R. (eds) Attachment Narrative Therapy. Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12745-8_3
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