The Relevance Of Attachment Theory Principles To Psychotherapy And How It Can Contribute To Fostering Therapeutic Alliance and The Change Process For Clients: A Literature Review

Abstract

This study is focused on how attachment theory can help explain the importance of the therapeutic alliance as a key factor for effective psychotherapy and how a felt sense of safety and care can help to establish and foster a therapeutic alliance through the application of clinical strategies to promote change and growth of the client through the therapeutic alliance. This study is relevant to psychotherapy is because of the key role attachment styles play in therapy (Taylor, Rietzschel, Danquah & Berry, 2015). Attachment theory informs how therapists can create a safe and caring relational environment and how this in turn can support the exploration and reconstruction of the client’s internal working models (IWMs) of self and others and insecure attachment patterns for effective affect regulation.