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Report of the APSAC Task Force on Attachment Therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Attachment Problems

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

Rochelle Hanson

Benjamin E. Saunders

Medical University of South Carolina, Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center

Todd Nichols

Family Attachment Counseling Center

Douglas Barnett

Wayne State University

Charles Zeanah

Tulane University School of Medicine

Lucy Berliner

Harborview Sexual Assault Center

Byron Egeland

University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development

Elana Newman

University of Tulsa

Tom Lyon

University of Southern California Law School

Elizabeth Letourneau

Medical University of South Carolina, Family Services Research Center

Cindy Miller-Perrin

Pepperdine University

Although the term attachment disorder is ambiguous, attachment therapies are increasingly used with children who are maltreated, particularly those in foster care or adoptive homes. Some children described as having attachment disorders show extreme disturbances. The needs of these children and their caretakers are real. How to meet their needs is less clear. A number of attachment-based treatment and parenting approaches purport to help children described as attachment disordered. Attachment therapy is a young and diverse field, and the benefits and risks of many treatments remain scientifically undetermined. Controversies have arisen about potentially harmful attachment therapy techniques used by a subset of attachment therapists. In this report, the Task Force reviews the controversy and makes recommendations for assessment, treatment, and practices. The report reflects American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's (APSAC) position and also was endorsed by the American Psychological Association's Division 37 and the Division 37 Section on Child Maltreatment.

Key Words: reactive attachment disorder • attachment therapy

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