Attachment-Based Intervention Strategies in Family Therapy with Survivors of Intra-Familial Trauma: A Case Study

There is little research to date on the role of sibling relationships in mitigating attachment-related trauma. This paper is a clinical case study that illustrates the therapeutic process involved in working with siblings as well as the parent–child dyad, following a history of intra-familial trauma. We present an attachment-based treatment approach that recognizes and makes clinical use of a secure sibling attachment system. The process of facilitating therapeutic change in children with an insecure attachment style in relation to their parents, contrasted with a relatively secure sibling attachment system, is discussed. The implications of improved parent–child relationships on family outcomes, as well as on sibling relationships, are also explored.