Attachment Theory

We are born utterly helpless. In order to get our basic needs met--for food, swaddling, sleep, basic comforts--we send out various signals. We learn very early which of these signals get results. These early lessons form the basis of attachment theory--that how we learned to relate to our first caregivers find echoes in how we relate to others. Four styles--secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized—inform a lifetime of behaviors and can be understood and transformed.

I use attachment theory not only in my work with couples but also in my work with individuals. Learning about how we attach to our friends, significant others, and family members provides framework for how we approach the world around us. Focus on this area can vary depending on what your goals are, but we can use attachment theory to help you decipher relationship patterns and find areas where your attachment may be holding you back from having fulfilling relationships or getting your needs met

I believe attachment is one of the most important aspects of understanding humans and how we related to ourselves and others. Attachment describes the profound importance of our relationships with our caregivers, friends and romantic partners. We develop patterns to protect these relationships. Attachment theory allows us to identify these patterns and choose with patterns are healthy for us and which ones we would like to change.

I am particularly passionate about attachment work, recognizing how our early relationships and experiences with caregivers shape our adult relationships and sense of self.

I work from an attachment perspective to de-escalate the problematic interactional cycle maintaining attachment insecurity and relationship distress by creating a therapeutic alliance and accessing unacknowledged primary emotions. Working from an attachment perspective allows individuals and couples access in underlying attachment-related emotions and the needs associated with these emotions opens the individual, couple, and/or family to address needs in new ways.

I work from an attachment perspective to de-escalate the problematic interactional cycle maintaining attachment insecurity and relationship distress by creating a therapeutic alliance and accessing unacknowledged primary emotions. Working from an attachment perspective allows individuals and couples access in underlying attachment-related emotions and the needs associated with these emotions opens the individual, couple, and/or family to address needs in new ways.

I am a Certified Becoming Safely Embodied practitioner, taught by Deirdre Fay. It is a program that is grounded in attachment theory research. Brainspotting is also a powerful modality in supporting clients who struggle with attachment and relationship challenges and wounds.

In my work with clients facing sex addiction, I employ attachment theory to understand the condition as an intimacy disorder. By exploring the roots of attachment patterns, I help clients recognize how these influence their behaviors and relationships. This approach fosters empathy and understanding, aiding in the healing process for both the individual and their partner. Through compassionate guidance, we aim to rebuild connections, promoting resilience and hope for a healthier future.

Zach uses Attachment Theory to help clients understand how early relationships shape their emotional bonds and behavior in adulthood. By exploring attachment styles, he helps individuals recognize patterns in their relationships and develop healthier ways of connecting with others. This approach fosters emotional growth, improves communication, and supports clients in building secure, fulfilling relationships with themselves and others.

Where we come from shapes who we are and how we relate to others. Utilizing attachment theory allows an evaluation of early relationships, how functional and dysfunctional they were, and the impact or lack or impact that has on current relationships. This kind of work requires great trust and vulnerability. I am truly honored and consider it a privilege when a client is willing to do this work.

Attachment is a fancy therapy-word for important relationships. Our earliest relationships with our primary caregivers become the foundation for how we relate to others throughout our lives. But attachment is fluid, so later relationships still affect us such as with friends or mentors. If there were wounds in early relationships, then our self-esteem, romantic/platonic relationships can also be impacted later. I will help you heal old wounds and foster new, healthy relationships.

Attachment theory is way for us to understand our patterns, traits, behaviors and developmental experiences and how they impact us from a relational perspective today. We examine attachment styles to better understand how we relate to partners, family, and even friends, which gives us the ability change things we would like to do differently or improve.

Attachment-Based Therapy is a wonderful, life-changing approach to healing and psychological restoration. It helps adults and children build strong and meaningful relationships with their family members, friends, significant others, and communities. A lot of times, childhood trauma leads to unsatisfying relationships. This type of therapy allows clients to identify and heal from their trauma in order to live a fulfilling life.

All of us have relational blueprints that we learned in childhood. Its these blueprints that are often responsible for sucking us back into repeating old patterns. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--although I know it can feel like it! Instead, this experience of stuckness and repetition can be a clue that there's something unresolved from the past that we need to work through.

I have studied and trained in attachment theory models including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT.) I am a pre-certified professional in EFT meaning I have completed all the training necessary for certification and am in the final stages of certification.

I help individuals who struggle maintaining secure and healthy relationships by providing them with an understanding of how their attachment style can influence cognitive distortions and behavior.