Attachment Therapy
Attachment-Based Therapy explores how our early experiences and important relationships shape the way we understand ourselves, connect with others, and navigate emotional experiences.
In therapy, we may explore patterns in relationships, communication, boundaries, trust, emotional needs, and ways of responding during moments of connection or conflict. By developing awareness of these patterns, you can begin to understand where they come from and practice new ways of relating.
This approach integrates attachment theory, relational therapy, and mind-body awareness to support healthier relationships with yourself and others, while honoring the experiences that have shaped you.
Who Is Attachment-Based Therapy For?
Attachment-based therapy may be helpful for individuals ages 6+ and couples who:
- Notice recurring patterns in your relationships
- Struggle with trust, vulnerability, or emotional closeness
- Feel anxious about rejection or abandonment
- Tend to people-please, withdraw, or avoid conflict
- Have difficulty identifying or communicating your needs
- Want to understand why certain relationship dynamics feel particularly activating
- Feel disconnected from yourself within relationships
- Want to develop more flexibility in how you respond to yourself and others
You don’t need to identify with a particular attachment style to benefit from this approach. Attachment patterns can vary across relationships and change throughout our lives.
What Style of Therapy Is It?
Attachment-based therapy is a relational approach to psychotherapy rather than one single therapy modality. Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding how our relationships and experiences can shape the ways we connect, respond emotionally, and make sense of ourselves and others.
Attachment-informed therapy can be integrated with relational, psychodynamic, trauma-informed, and mind-body approaches. In my work, I use attachment as one lens for understanding the patterns that emerge in your relationships and within yourself.
We may explore not only what is happening in your relationships, but also what happens internally—your thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and nervous system responses.
How Long Does Attachment-Based Therapy Take?
There is no set length of treatment. The length of therapy depends on your goals, circumstances, and what you are hoping to explore.
Some people may benefit from shorter-term therapy focused on a specific relationship pattern or concern. Others may choose longer-term therapy to explore longstanding relational patterns, trauma, identity, or self-trust.
Throughout therapy, we can revisit your goals and adjust the focus and pace based on what feels most useful to you.
How I Use Attachment-Based Therapy
I don’t view attachment styles as fixed labels or categories that define who you are. Instead, I use attachment as one way of understanding the patterns you’ve developed through your relationships and experiences.
Together, we can become curious about what you’ve learned about connection, how your mind and body respond when relationships feel uncertain or activating, and what becomes possible when you have more awareness and choice.
My goal is not to change who you are or fit you into an attachment category. It is to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your needs, and your relationships while creating more flexibility in how you respond.
Gabriella Lehmkuhle, LMSW, CYT | Mind-Body Therapist & Educator 