The Neuroscience of Attachment: Moving from Co-Regulation to
Self-Regulation of Emotions

A Workshop with Dr. Ruth A. McConnell

Our counselling work with clients often involves working with a wide range of emotions, varying from muted to very strong emotional reactions. In the attachment we form with our clients, the research has shown that the more securely attached the client is with the therapist, the greater their capacity to regulate their emotions, which otherwise would have been too overwhelming for them to cope with on their own.

In this workshop we will explore how healthy attachment develops early in life and transfers in the field of neuroscience. Firstly, the neuroscience of attachment from a developmental and therapeutic perspective will be presented. From these insights, case examples will be given to illustrate the application of this knowledge to clinical practice. Interwoven in the case examples will be some insights of how human attachment and co-regulation of emotion can transfer into psychological healing.

Dr. Ruth McConnell is a counsellor with more than 20 years' experience. She trained and worked in Scotland and Canada before moving to New Zealand. She is a Senior Lecturer in Counselling at Laidlaw College and has a private practice. Ruth completed her MA (Honours) in Social Anthropology and Psychology (Aberdeen University) followed by a PhD (Counselling Psychology) from the Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen, Scotland). She is a Professional Associate of the Neufeld Institute having trained with Gordon Neufeld in his Attachment-based Developmental paradigm. She has authored several journal articles, conference papers, and regularly presents professional development training for counsellors. Ruth grew up in the Amazon region of Brazil, the daughter of Scottish Missionary parents; she currently lives in Red Beach, Auckland with her two adult daughters, their labradoodle, Panda, and two shy cats.