New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

Fee: $15.00

For many in the foster, kinship and adoption experience, the concepts of attachment and trauma are quite familiar. Less known is object relations theory—what might be thought of as ‘advanced attachment’. This approach looks at many of the confusing complexities and contradictions in the parent-child relationship as well as the path to becoming a sturdy self. These roads can be bumpy for all children, but especially for those who are no longer raised by their biological parents. From this perspective, the most important aspects of trauma may not be alarming states, mistrust or low self-esteem, but rather how these early experiences shape—and sometimes skew—strategies for how to become a solid person and a loving member of a family. Creating an accurate model of what is happening for the child (and parent) is a prelude to more precise intervention of core issues.