ABSTRACT

Emotional Safety is designed to help couple therapists identify and conceptualize the problems of their clients and to provide solutions, focusing on the two central elements of emotion and attachment.

Problems occur in relationships when the partners no longer feel safe being open and vulnerable with each other. Emotional Safety: Viewing Couples Through the Lens of Affect enables couple therapists to recognize and articulate the emotional subtext of their clients’ interactions. The emotional safety model is based on modern affect theory and focuses on the affective tone of messages in the areas of attachment and esteem. The model allows therapists to address the subtle interplay of perceived threat and emotional reaction which underlies their clients’ difficulties and disrupts emotional safety.

part I|90 pages

Theory and Foundation

chapter 1|10 pages

The Problem

chapter 2|9 pages

The Language of Affect

chapter 3|15 pages

Realms of Affect: Attachment and Esteem

part II|149 pages

Clinical Applications

chapter 10|14 pages

Patterns of Maladaptive Responses

chapter 11|12 pages

Identifying the Problem

chapter 12|10 pages

Establishing Safety

chapter 13|24 pages

Maintaining Esteem

chapter 14|28 pages

Repairing Damaged Esteem

chapter 15|13 pages

Maintaining Attachment Security

chapter 16|14 pages

Healing Attachment Injuries

chapter 17|13 pages

The Emotional Safety Model of Treatment