Raising Boys & Girls Episode 312: Understanding Attachment Styles with Dr. Alison Cook
Sep 30, 2025
Dr. Alison Cook, a psychotherapist and best-selling author, dives into the fascinating world of attachment styles. She shares how consistent early attachment nurtures resilience and confidence in children. Alison identifies behavioral patterns in secure, anxious, and avoidant attachments, highlighting the impact of parental styles on relationships. Practical strategies include self-compassion, reparenting, and emotional regulation tips. She emphasizes the possibility of healing from insecure attachments, integrating faith to ease the parental journey.
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Secure Presence Enables Exploration
- Secure presence from caregivers paradoxically empowers children to explore and trust themselves and others.
- That anchoring builds resilience and healthy self-trust in a child's nervous system.
Signs Of Secure Attachment
- Watch for kids who seek comfort but also explore and take risks as signs of secure attachment.
- Encourage talk about feelings and allow safe risk-taking so they build confidence.
Parents’ Attachment Mirrors Parenting
- Adult attachment patterns (anxious or avoidant) strongly shape parenting behaviors and responses.
- Recognizing these patterns helps explain why we overfunction, cling, or withdraw in relationships.
