What type of parenting helps children who have attachment disorder?

Parenting children who have attachment disorder is hard work! By creating a therapeutic home environment, you can help both your child and your family to heal.

Creating a therapeutic home environment means putting a system in place that is designed strategically to meet your child's needs. These needs include the need for a secure attachment, the need to give up control, and the need for positive reinforcement to build self-esteem.

Parenting children who have attachment disorder requires structuring your household around the child's needs, rather than trying to force him to conform to a "normal" way of life, for which he is not ready. Yes, this is more difficult with other children in the home. But children who have attachment disorder are children with special needs, and, to be effective, you need to approach parenting them as such.

It is important to learn to address issues and behaviors that arise in a way that helps your child move forward, while preserving and nurturing your relationship with him (as opposed to taking behaviors personally and ending up in power struggles that set your child, and your relationship with him, back).

Creating a therapeutic home environment is critical. To heal, children who have attachment disorder need to be immersed in an environment designed to work on their issues as close to 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week as is possible. While an attachment therapist, and often a psychiatrist, is a critical piece of the formula, one hour in therapy each week is not going to "fix" your child all by itself. Every minute the child spends in an environment that's not designed to help him is probably hindering his progress.

We offer an all-day class to teach you how to set up a therapeutic environment in your home.