Deena McMahon on Attachment Therapy
I work with children and the caregivers of children who have experienced multiple disruptions, neglect, abuse or loss of family. Attachment repair in children is geared toward repairing the relationship between the parent and the child and facilitating the ability of the child to trust. The strategies I use have been effective in helping children from challenging backgrounds learn to experience pleasure in the context of a caring relationship. I am considered an expert in the arena of attachment both in assessing and in working therapeutically with children who have attachment wounds.
Attachment wounds form early in a child's life. A new protocol has been established to assist mental health professionals in correctly diagnosing attachment problems and overall functioning in children under three years old. Called DC-03, this assessment protocol allows mental health professionals to intervene early in a child's life and introduce strategies that will alleviate the most immediate symptoms.
I have been trained to use DC03 and have established an expertise in working with very young children. It is widely known that the earlier we intervene in a child's life, the better the outcome.
Attachment wounds are most typically seen in children who have been adopted or who from backgrounds of abuse, neglect or trauma.
Working with children who have experienced multiple losses of their attachment relationships is long-term and intense. It requires an understanding of typical child development, developmental delays and of methods designed to assist the parent/caregiver in helping the child achieve their full capacity to engage in satisfying relationships.
