ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how therapists can enhance the therapeutic alliance with clients by specifically focusing on the 'bond' between the therapist and the client-system, based on the attachment pattern of each member of the client-system. It provides specific mapping tools to guide the development of therapeutic posture (TxP) and also describes the phases of treatment with particular attention to the developmental process of TxP during treatment. The chapter highlights and expands the importance of attachment narratives that were incorporated in the first edition of Focused Genograms based on Byng-Hall's extension of attachment theory to family systems. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of the Internal Models Map (IMM) as the foundation for work with all varieties of client-systems, the individual, the couple, the current and extended family, and the contextual environments. The purpose of the IMM is to guide the clinician's adoption of a specific TxP that is based on each individual's childhood attachment experiences with caregivers.
