Books and Methods Review - Therapeutic Parenting - Daniel A. Hughes

Daniel A. Hughes, PhD

Daniel Hughes is a practicing psychotherapist, consultant, and trainer specializing in attachment therapy and childhood trauma.  http://www.danielhughes.org/

Developed a model of treatment called Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy because it is based on the premise that the development of children and youth is dependent upon and highly influenced by the nature of the parent-child relationship.

Marythemom:  Daniel Hughes writes VERY good books, but very academic and pretty dry.  It is definitely written for the therapist.  Still it gives LOTS of good insight into attachment therapy and I am definitely glad it is in my daughter’s attachment therapist’s tool belt.  I am glad I read it too as it does help me be a better therapeutic parent and to have a better understanding of what’s going on in therapy.  I wrote a post about his ideas about matching children's emotional levels.  

For an entertaining, practical description of his concept PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) try the DVD by Christine Moers and Billy Kaplan -- Chaos to Healing:  Therapeutic Parenting 101. Christine Moers does a series of YouTube videos if you want to see her style to decide if you want this DVD - What to Do When Our Kids Are Stuck

Attachment-Focused Parenting: Effective Strategies to Care for Children http://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Focused-Parenting-Effective-Strategies-Professional/dp/0393705552/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

Attachment security and affect regulation have long been buzzwords in therapy circles, but rarely are they effectively applied to basic parenting skills. Here, a leading attachment specialist brings attachment work inside the therapy room to the outside, equipping caregivers with practical parenting techniques rooted in attachment theory and research.

Attachment-Focused Family Therapy http://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Focused-Family-Therapy-Daniel-Hughes/dp/0393705269/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346049227&sr=1-4&keywords=daniel+a+hughes

Here, Daniel A. Hughes, an eminent clinician and attachment specialist, is the first to expand this traditional model, applying attachment theory to a family therapy setting. Drawing on more than 20 years of clinical experience, Hughes presents his comprehensive, effective, and accessible treatment model for working with all members of a family—not simply the individual in question—to recognize, resolve, and heal personal and family problems using principles from theories of attachment and intersubjectivity.

Beginning with an overview of attachment and intersubjectivity—the twin theories from which he forms his treatment plan—Hughes carefully outlines, chapter by chapter, the core principles and strategies of his family-based approach. He elaborates on the need to develop and maintain PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy)—the central therapeutic stance of attachment-focused family therapy—and supplies tips and sample dialogues for implementing this position. The importance of fostering affective/reflective (a/r) dialogue is covered in detail, as well as helping families to manage shame, understand and embrace the break-and-repair cycle of their interactions, and explore and resolve childhood trauma. Also discussed are the more procedural issues of how to incorporate parents into therapeutic conversations, when and how to question them on their own attachment histories, and how to “be” with children.

Grounded in the fundamental principle of parents facilitating the healthy emotional development of their children, Attachment-Focused Family Therapy is the first book of its kind to offer therapists a complete manual for using attachment therapy with families. Extensive case studies, vignettes, and sample dialogues throughout clearly demonstrate how Hughes’s model plays out in the therapy room. By showing therapists how to create a bond of psychological safety and intersubjective discovery with parents and caregivers, Hughes reveals how they, in turn, can bring about similar experiences of safety and discovery for their children.

Brain-Based Parenting: The Neuroscience of Caregiving for Healthy Attachment (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Daniel A. Hughes, Jonathan Baylin and Daniel J. Siegel (Apr 23, 2012)

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Based-Parenting-Neuroscience-Interpersonal-Neurobiology/dp/0393707288/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346049227&sr=1-6&keywords=daniel+a+hughes

An attachment specialist and a clinical psychologist with neurobiology expertise team up to explore the brain science behind parenting.

The biggest challenge to parents, Hughes and Baylin explain, is learning how to regulate emotions that arise—feeling them deeply and honestly while staying grounded and aware enough to preserve the parent–child relationship. Stress, which can lead to “blocked” or dysfunctional care, can impede our brain’s inherent caregiving processes and negatively impact our ability to do this. While the parent–child relationship can generate deep empathy and the intense motivation to care for our children, it can also trigger self-defensive feelings rooted in our early attachment relationships, and give rise to “unparental” impulses. 

Learning to be a “good parent” is contingent upon learning how to manage this stress, understand its brain-based cues, and respond in a way that will set the brain back on track. To this end, Hughes and Baylin define five major “systems” of caregiving as they’re linked to the brain, explaining how they operate when parenting is strong and what happens when good parenting is compromised or “blocked.” With this awareness, we learn how to approach kids with renewed playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy, re-regulate our caregiving systems, foster deeper social engagement, and facilitate our children’s development.

Infused with clinical insight, illuminating case examples, and helpful illustrations, Brain-Based Parenting brings the science of caregiving to light for the first time. Far from just managing our children’s behavior, we can develop our “parenting brains,” and with a better understanding of the neurobiological roots of our feelings and our own attachment histories, we can transform a fraught parent-child relationship into an open, regulated, and loving one.

Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bonds-Attachment-Awakening-Troubled/dp/0765704048/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_3

Blends attachment theory and research, and trauma theory with general principles of both parenting and child and family therapy in developing a model for intervention. 

Creating Capacity For Attachment by Ph.D. Arthur Becker-Weidman, MA Deborah Shell, Ph.D. Daniel Hughes and Psy.D. & Jessica Mroz Phyllis Rubin (2008)  http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Capacity-Attachment-Arthur-Becker-Weidman/dp/0982288328/ref=sr_1_23?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346049902&sr=1-23&keywords=daniel+a+hughes

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is an evidence-based and effective treatment for children with trauma and disorders of attachment. This book serves as a practical guide, or manual, for this treatment.

Creating Loving Attachments: Parenting with PACE to Nurture Confidence and Security in the Troubled Child by Kim S. Golding and Daniel A. Hughes (Apr 15, 2012)  http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Loving-Attachments-Parenting-Confidence/dp/1849052271/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346049227&sr=1-7&keywords=daniel+a+hughes

All children need love, but for troubled children, a loving home is not always enough. Children who have experienced trauma need to be parented in a special way that helps them feel safe and secure, builds attachments and allows them to heal. Playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy (PACE) are four valuable elements of parenting that, combined with love, can help children to feel confident and secure. This book shows why these elements are so important to a child's development, and demonstrates to parents and carers how they can incorporate them into their day-to-day parenting. Real life examples and typical dialogues between parents and children illustrate how this can be done in everyday life, and simple stories highlight the ideas behind each element of PACE. This positive book will help parents and carers understand how parenting with love and PACE is invaluable to a child's development, and will guide them through using this parenting attitude to help their child feel happy, confident and secure.

Facilitating Developmental Attachment: The Road to Emotional Recovery and Behavioral Change in Foster and Adopted Children  http://www.amazon.com/Attachment-Focused-Family-Therapy-Daniel-Hughes/dp/0393705269/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

Beginning with an overview of attachment and intersubjectivity—the twin theories from which he forms his treatment plan—Hughes carefully outlines, chapter by chapter, the core principles and strategies of his family-based approach. He elaborates on the need to develop and maintain PLACE (playfulness, love, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy)—the central therapeutic stance of attachment-focused family therapy—and supplies tips and sample dialogues for implementing this position. The importance of fostering affective/reflective (a/r) dialogue is covered in detail, as well as helping families to manage shame, understand and embrace the break-and-repair cycle of their interactions, and explore and resolve childhood trauma. Also discussed are the more procedural issues of how to incorporate parents into therapeutic conversations, when and how to question them on their own attachment histories, and how to “be” with children.

Grounded in the fundamental principle of parents facilitating the healthy emotional development of their children, Attachment-Focused Family Therapy is the first book of its kind to offer therapists a complete manual for using attachment therapy with families. Extensive case studies, vignettes, and sample dialogues throughout clearly demonstrate how Hughes’s model plays out in the therapy room. By showing therapists how to create a bond of psychological safety and intersubjective discovery with parents and caregivers, Hughes reveals how they, in turn, can bring about similar experiences of safety and discovery for their children.

Trauma, Attachment and Family Permanence: Fear Can Stop You Loving by Caroline Archer, Alan Burnell and Daniel A. Hughes (Feb 15, 2003)  http://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Attachment-Family-Permanence-Loving/dp/1843100215/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346049227&sr=1-11&keywords=daniel+a+hughes

Fostered and adopted children can present major challenges resulting from unresolved attachment issues and early traumatic experiences. In this much-needed book, the contributors provide a variety of complementary perspectives on the needs of these children and their families, focusing on ways of integrating attachment theory and developmental psychology into effective practice. Examining multiple aspects of work with children who are unable to live with their birth families, the book includes contributions on the assessment, preparation and support needs of children and families, attachment and the neurobiological effects of trauma, effective management of contact with birth families and developmental challenges in school settings. The use of creative arts therapies, alongside developmental reparenting strategies as part of a long-term attachment therapy 'package' are explored in some detail. A fictionalised family, used as a working example throughout Part 2, brings practical interventions to life: illustrating the Family Futures' inclusive approach, where adoptive and foster parents become pivotal members of the therapeutic team. In addition, contributions from real-life user families illustrate some of the challenges they face and demonstrate how the developmental attachment-based approach has worked for them. Bringing together a rich and innovative selection of ideas for adoption and fostering practice across the disciplines, this book will be a valuable resource for all involved in supporting substitute families.