Securing an Adolescent’s Attachment to Her Adoptive Family: The Use of Multi-dimensional Relational Family Therapy

This case study demonstrates the use of the Multi-dimensional Relational Family Therapy approach with an adolescent and her adoptive family for the purpose of securing her attachment to them. The work allowed her to move from a potentially destructive state to a more affirmed sense of herself. This case study supports the power of therapeutic intervention as a way to treat adolescents and their families before behaviors become pathological. Using the Multi-dimensional Relational Family Therapy approach allows the therapist to focus on subtle details of non-verbal interaction and observe movement phrases within the family. This approach is applicable to both biological and adoptive families.