What are attachment styles?

In the work I do, I often times help clients identify their “attachment style.” We do this to look at how an individual’s attachment style may be an assess or a stressor in relationships, in meeting goals, and in contributing to a sense of “stuckness.”

There are 4 types of attachment styles. Often our attachment style depends on the situation we are in, the realtionship we are in. But generally, we tend to struggle with the same issues across most situations and relationships.

How we respond to conflict, our ability to communicate our needs and wants, and what we expect from others can be affected by our attachment styles. Those attachment styles also show up in the therapeutic relationship – in our counseling sessions. So, for many clients it’s an important topic to explore.

• Secure Attachment
• Anxious
• Avoidant
• Disorganized (Anxious and Avoidant)