The Four Relationship Styles: How Attachment theory can help you in your search for lasting love

Anita Knight Kuhnley, Ph.D., LPC

Description: 

Attachment serves a regulatory function and is the part of the attachment behavioral system. This internal system is activated when we are under stress. Based on our autobiographical narrative and relationship blueprints we develop one of four relationship styles. Each style has unique strengths and challenges. Identifying your primary style and understanding the neurobiology of your style and how it influences emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, and the activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are critical. Many of the symptoms we see manifest in the counseling office are associated with attachment injuries, psychological insults, or relational trauma. Treatment interventions and assessments can be tailored to include research-based interventions from an attachment informed and trauma-informed approach. Participants will gain a tool kit of assessments and interventions to use that help promote secure attachment and emotion regulation.

Learning Objectives:

1.     Identify and assess the four attachment styles.
2.     Assess activation of the attachment behavioral system and a typology of trauma responses.
3.     Apply interventions from a tool kit of research-based techniques to enhance attachment security and emotion regulation.

CEU Workshop Agenda

11:00 am Registration and networking
11:30 am Self-introductions
Noon Presentation starts 
12:45 pm Lunch and networking
1:15 pm Presentation continues
2:15 pm Workshop ends

2.0 General CEU Hours

Anita Knight Kuhnley, Ph.D., LPC

Anita Knight Kuhnley, Ph.D., LPC is a highly reliable coder of the Adult Attachment Interview and is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Liberty University where she mentors a research team of students and faculty. She enjoys working with counseling students and helping them “make friends” with both the research and practice. She is also a recipient of the Liberty University Chancellor’s award for teaching excellence. Her research team investigates the science of relationships and emotion regulation for the advancement of counselor personal development including burnout prevention, attachment security, emotional intelligence, and empathy. Before working in private practice, residential addictions treatment, and college counseling, she was appointed to serve as an English instructor, and has always enjoyed writing. She is a blogger for The American Counseling Association and the author or co-author of multiple books including, The Four Relationship Styles: How attachment theory can help you in your search for lasting love (her most recent book), The Mister Rogers Effect: Seven secrets to bringing out the best in yourself and others from America’s beloved neighbor (which examines the impact of Mister Fred Rogers work through a psychological lens), Redeeming Attachment: A Counselor’s Guide to Facilitating Attachment to God and Earned Security, and Counseling Women to find out more please visit her website at www.dranitakuhnley.com or follow her on Instagram @the.empathetic.counselor.

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