- Understand the development of healthy attachment
- Diagnose attachment styles and identify generational attachment patterns
- Identify how trauma impacts attachment and how to restore felt safety
- Recognize attachment dysfunction in personality disorders and apply techniques to teach healthy relationship skills
Repairing Attachment Trauma in Adulthood
Dr. Christina Reese, Clinical Professional Counselor
Master clinical interventions to transform clients' relational patterns using evidence-based assessment and treatment
Overview
Attachment patterns established in the first years of life continue to govern adult relationships, emotional regulation, and intimacy—yet these deeply embedded relational blueprints remain accessible to clinical intervention. This paradox defines the therapeutic challenge: working with unconscious models formed before language while addressing their manifestations in adult dysfunction.
In this advanced clinical training, you will develop refined diagnostic skills for identifying attachment styles in adult clients. You will learn to recognize how anxious, avoidant, and disorganized patterns manifest across presenting problems. You will strengthen your ability to trace generational transmission of attachment dysfunction using established assessment frameworks.
You will deepen your understanding of foundational attachment research—from Bowlby's internal working models to Ainsworth's Strange Situation methodology. You will implement targeted interventions for rupture repair, including specific techniques for apology, trust rebuilding, and conflict resolution. You will learn to restore felt safety in trauma survivors, whether the trauma originated in childhood or adult experiences of loss, divorce, or abuse. You will integrate attachment-informed approaches when treating personality disorders, applying concrete methods for teaching emotion regulation and healthy relationship skills.
Dr. Reese will demonstrate how attachment dysfunction intersects with common mental health presentations including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. You will examine how to adapt your interventions based on these diagnostic complexities. You will strengthen your capacity to facilitate attunement, appropriate vulnerability, and secure relating in clients with severely compromised relational foundations.
These evidence-based tools will enable you to address attachment disruption regardless of your clients' primary presenting concerns. You will leave equipped to facilitate meaningful shifts in relational patterns that have persisted for decades. Your enhanced clinical precision will support deeper therapeutic outcomes across your entire caseload.
On sale until March 27!
- 3h of continuing education
- 20 lessons that last from 5 to 15 minutes each
- 1 certificate of achievement
- 1 PowerPoint
- 1 bibliography
- 1 course evaluation
- 7-day money back guarantee
- Unlimited access
- 97% of participants who completed the satisfaction survey declare they would recommend this course to a colleague
Accreditation
Ordre des Psychologues du Québec
Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
Collège des médecins du Québec
For physicians who practice psychotherapy, training recognized by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec is automatically considered as activities adopted by the Collège des médecins, in accordance with Article 3 of the Regulation.
For physicians who do not practice psychotherapy, the College evaluates each recognition request based on the following criteria:
- the relevance of the activity to the practice of the profession
- the skills and experience of the trainer
- the quality of the content and its adequacy with the physician's practice
- the pedagogical framework of the activity
- the quality of the documentation provided
- compliance with the training objectives set out in the regulation
- the presence of a certificate of participation or an evaluation
About the expert
Dr. Christina Reese is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience treating attachment trauma across the lifespan. Licensed in Maryland, Maine, and Pennsylvania, she serves as a clinical supervisor specializing in complex trauma and attachment-based interventions for adults, adolescents, and families.
Dr. Reese earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from George Washington University, where her dissertation research explored attachment disruption and behavioral change in adults. Her study "A Qualitative Study of Gang Desistance in Former Gang Members" examined how individuals with severe attachment trauma develop capacity for relational transformation. She holds a Master's degree in Community Counseling from McDaniel College.
As a TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner, Dr. Reese integrates attachment theory, neuroscience, and trauma-informed practice to help clients rebuild secure relationships and emotional regulation. She has authored six books translating attachment research into clinical practice: "Attachment," "The Attachment Connection," "Trauma and Attachment," "The Socially Confident Teen," "Leveling Up," and "Puzzle Pieces."
Dr. Reese's clinical approach draws on foundational attachment researchers including Bowlby, Ainsworth, and Harlow while applying contemporary evidence-based interventions for rupture repair, emotion regulation, and relational healing. Her work addresses attachment dysfunction across diagnostic presentations including personality disorders, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. She provides practical, implementable strategies that clinicians can apply immediately with adult clients experiencing relationship difficulties, trauma histories, and insecure attachment patterns.
Learning objectives
Learning material
A theoretical course illustrated with clinical examples. This course is composed of videos of 5 to 15 minutes each. The PowerPoint of the course to download.
Syllabus
- PowerPoint
- 1. Introduction
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Understanding Healthy Attachment
- 2. Attunement-Meeting Needs
- 3. Trust Development & Vulnerability
- 4. Healthy Attachment
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Generational Attachment
- 5. Internal Working Models
- 6. Experiments on Attachment
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Attachment Styles in Relationships
- 7. Avoidant Attachment Style
- 8. Anxious Attachment Style
- 9. Disorganized Attachment Style
- 10. How Different Attachment Styles React to Each Other
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How to Repair and Heal
- 11. Ruptures and Repairs
- 12. Childhood Trauma
- 13. Death Trauma
- 14. Divorce or Separation Trauma
- 15. Abuse Trauma
- 16. Personality Disorders
- 17. Emotion Regulation
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Attachment and Mental Health Disorders
- 18. Depression and Anxiety
- 19. Bipolar, Schizophrenia, ADHD
- 20. Conclusion
- Bibliography
CE Credits
Download a certificate of successful completion.
Audience
This course is intended for mental health professionals.
Your comments
"Really appreciated the practical suggestions for using attachment theory with clients. Courses are often very informative about the topic but not practical implications. This course gave me some tangible tools to use with clients through an attachment lens." (automatically translated)
A psychologist
Registration
Ask a question
Do you have a question? Then email us at contact@asadis.net
Frequently asked questions
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Is there an evaluation at the end of the course?
To validate the achievement of the learning objectives, a final evaluation in the form of true/false questions is required. It must be completed in order to obtain the certificate of completion.
In addition, an optional self-assessment is offered at the beginning and end of the course, allowing you to measure your progress on the targeted skills.
These evaluations are not graded and are intended primarily to support your professional reflection.
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I have a disability. Can I receive specific support?
Yes! This training is offered as a pre-recorded video format, without subtitles. If you have a disability, we can provide an adapted alternative (technical assistance for viewing or individual supervision). For any request, please contact our disability coordinator at the following address: contact@asadis.net
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How long do I have access to the course?
After your registration, the course is accessible anytime and from anywhere with unlimited access.
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When does the course start?
That is entirely up to you! When you buy a course, you'll receive an access link that you can activate when you want.
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Is there a student rate?
Yes there is! To learn more, email us at contact@asadis.net.
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Legal notice
The courses offered by ASADIS are accredited by different professional organisations. In addition, ASADIS is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. ASADIS maintains responsibility for the program.
The CPA’s approval of an individual, group, or organization as a CE Sponsor or Provider is restricted to the activities described in the approved application or annual report form. The CPA’s approval does not extend to any other CE activity the Sponsor or Provider might offer. In granting its approval, the CPA assumes no legal or financial obligations to Sponsors, Providers, or to those individuals who might participate in a Sponsor or Provider’s CE activities or programs. Further, responsibility for the content, provision, and delivery of any CE activity approved by the CPA remains that of the CE Sponsor or Provider. The CPA disclaims all legal liability associated with the content, provision, and delivery of the approved CE activity.