Review - A Short Introduction to Attachment and Attachment Disorder

Review

This is a very helpful book which can be read in a short period of time. You can also pick it up again and again for reference when putting strategies in place.

The book is set out in four chapters, with each being broken down into subjects. The book has a case study throughout, and at the end of each chapter the child’s story continues and more is revealed as to how the story is relevant to the book’s content and to that particular chapter.

Each chapter also has a summary at the end which is very useful. At times when reading the summary I found that I might have missed something within the chapter; I was therefore able to revisit the section and re-read it in context, which was helpful. The summaries are bullet points and even if you don’t want to read the whole book you could still learn a lot with these points. As a foster carer who has had many attachment training sessions, this book is a great summary and refresher of the topics learnt on previous courses.

This book does not reveal a new and exciting way to deal with or live with attachment disorder. Rather, it offers a reassurance of the existence of attachment disorder and how we can apply positive strategies to help the child react better.

One of my favourite things about this book is that it is not full of jargon or scientific statements. Pearce has included a glossary of terms at the end of the book to help the reader understand the meanings of words and phrases.

This book is not geared to the social work profession but rather to someone dealing with first hand attachment disorder. As a carer I will share this book with my child’s teacher. This book is not full of references to other books or psychological findings. It is very much about the research of the author and about encouraging the caregiver to be guided by the skilled therapists. The author encourages the reader to engage the child in appropriate therapy and a therapeutic approach consistent in therapy, home and school.

I would recommend this book to anyone involved with children. As a foster carer I feel like I have, through reading this book, understood more about my role as a caregiver and the importance of advocating for the child who struggles with attachment disorder. I have also learned to open myself up to a more strategic approach, directed by professionals, in providing a safe therapeutic environment that is nurturing and positive.

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