Fulshear Recognizes National Adoption Awareness Month

November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month.

While efforts made at the national level certainly help build awareness of adoption, at Fulshear we want to use this opportunity to help dispel common misconceptions around adoptees and foster children, especially as it connects with some of the progressive work we are doing.

Myth: All people who are adopted have attachment issues.

Fact: Studies show that a minority of adopted children will be diagnosed with an attachment or behavioral disorder. However, the rates of children diagnosed with an attachment disorder, ADHD, depression or any conduct problems are slightly higher than the general population.

What we know is that attachment issues impact a larger group of people than those who are adopted. It is estimated that only about 50% of the population are "secure" in their attachments. This means that they are confident that those around them are responsive to their needs. The other half of the population are either anxiously attached (fearful of rejection) or avoidant (independent and protective) in their attachment styles. This shows us that attachment issues go far beyond the scope of adoption.

The desire to be attached is biological. It is hard wired in our brains. Due to traumatic experiences, sickness, neglect, emotional or physical abuse a person may become anxious, avoidant in their attachment style. This does not mean that the urge for connection is not there. What becomes clear is that those that have these experiences may go to extreme measures to find connection or to extreme measures to protect themselves from further hurt or rejection.

What our Clinical Director Kevin Randall and I have discovered is that although attachment theory has been supported by much empirical research in a variety of settings, clinical application of adult mental health problems within the context of the attachment research has significantly lagged behind. This has sparked us to research, adopt, and adapt an adult attachment model. Last month we unveiled this model at a professional conference. Now we are proud to share it with others in the industry.

What we have discovered is that attachment (adoption or not) is an underlying factor in many of the behaviors that have brought clients to treatment. Issues with addiction, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders are all tied to attachment issues. When a person experiences a threat or trigger such as a death of a loved one, getting in trouble, being told no, a flashback from a trauma, or a hundred other possible threats, they are triggered to seek out an attachment figure.

When someone has severe attachment issues these behaviors can look dysfunctional or be very stressful for all those involved. It will become apparent that the person will seek out connection in unhealthy ways (indiscriminate sex, drama or crisis in relationships, clinging or neediness in relationships) or protection. Protection is a turning inward and emotionally closing off. It can include drug and alcohol use or abuse, self-injury, video game addictions, or a number of other behaviors that protect the person from being emotionally exposed.

Viewing these problems through the lens of adoption has been amazing work. It allows us to intervene with clients in ways that are deeper than the behaviors that they display. It also allows us to intervene across generations as we prepare women to have healthy adult relationships. We are incredibly proud of the innovative work we are doing to help the women at Fulshear learn to have healthy attachments to people in their lives.

Attachment is much more than trying to figure out a child or parent's so-called "attachment style." It has relevance to every person we see in therapy as adolescents or young adults. It has relevance to their caregivers as well. And it is relevant to their diagnosis.

Through understanding our new adult attachment model we can intervene at an attachment level not just at a symptom reduction level.

We are integrating this attachment model in everything we do. Whether in weekly treatment, integrated into group and individual therapy, or reinforced within the Fulshear community on a daily basis, we are creating experiences to help these women connect, break and ultimately repair in order to have healthy attachments.

I welcome your thoughts surrounding our new model and any questions you may have about adult attachment.

Warmly,
Nikki Preece, LCSW
Executive Director

Fulshear is a single-gender treatment center for a reason. Our long-term attachment work is built into our program to help our clients become healthy, strong and influential women.

InnerChange is a partner for mental health professionals, providing clinical and operational support to help them aid struggling families. InnerChange espouses a firm set of beliefs regarding residential therapy, which we call our CORE methodology.