Transformation through attachment: the power of relationship in clinical social work

This case study illustrates the power of the therapeutic relationship that developed between the author and a woman who experienced early relational trauma and childhood sexual trauma, and who suffered from depression, alcohol dependence and bulimia. Examining three and a half years of individual psychotherapy through the lens of attachment theory, the client’s relationship to the author appeared to mimic an early attachment relationship and this psychotherapeutic attachment appeared to have contributed to the repair of the client’s own insecure attachment to her mother. Through the course of the therapy the client was also able to develop her ability to regulate her emotional responses and create a coherent narrative of her life. She creatively worked through her fear of God as well as apparently circumvent the intergenerational transmission of insecure attachment to her adopted daughter. This case study proposes new treatment considerations for individuals with both trauma histories and substance use disorders.DSWIncludes bibliographical referencesby Debra J. Ruisar