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Music as an Attachment Figure
ByJo OxleyCan music be more than just background noise? For many, it becomes a lifeline—an emotional surrogate offering containment, regulation, and a sense of presence. This post explores how music can act as a secure base in the absence of safe attachment figures, grounded in both personal experience and therapeutic insight
I Didn’t Set Out to Train Therapists -I Just Kept Saying Yes to What Mattered
ByJo OxleyI didn’t wake up one morning and decide to run attachment training programmes for therapists. There was no grand plan, no five-year strategy, no sudden urge to create courses and qualifications. What there was, however, was a growing awareness – one that emerged slowly, quietly, and persistently -from sitting with people. At that time, my…
The Circle of Security: What Parenting Teaches Us About Therapy (and Why It Matters for Counsellors in Training)
ByJo OxleyIf you’ve ever sat with a client and quietly thought, “Ah… this is an old dance they’ve been doing since childhood,” then you’re already brushing up against one of the most elegant and compassionate models in the attachment world: the Circle of Security. Whether you’re a parent, a therapist, a supervisor, or simply a human…
Decoding Attachment: The Surprising Ways Early Experiences Shape Our Stress Response
ByJo OxleyDecoding Attachment: The Surprising Ways Early Experiences Shape Our Stress Response As counsellors and psychotherapists, we witness firsthand how early attachment experiences leave lasting imprints on the mind and body. But what if we told our clients that these early relationships literally shape their brain’s wiring—especially when it comes to stress? Understanding the neuroscience of…
New Year Resolutions – Old Patterns: The Challenge of Change Through an Attachment Lens
ByJo OxleyBy a therapist with a soft spot for attachment theory and a healthy scepticism about January makeovers Every January we are invited—no, instructed—to reinvent ourselves. New bodies. New habits. New lives. It’s a seductive promise, usually delivered alongside a discounted gym membership and a faint sense of personal failure. But from an attachment perspective, most…
Inviting Dependence to Grow Independence: How Secure Attachment Shapes Children — and Heals Adults in Therapy
ByJo OxleyGordon Neufeld’s beautiful words offer a simple but profound truth about human development: “To foster independence we must first invite dependence… We liberate children not by making them work for our love but by letting them rest in it.” Most parents instinctively feel the wisdom in this, even if the world around them sometimes encourages…
