Continuing the Attachment Conversation: Supporting a Youth Who Shows Indiscriminate Attachment

As we continue the conversation about building trust and secure attachment with the kids we welcome into our homes through foster care & adoption, we want to learn about something often overlooked by parents and professionals but critical to understanding our kids and mitigating future vulnerabilities for them. That thing is called indiscriminate attachment.

Do you have a youth who frequently approaches strangers, offering them more verbal or physical affection than might be appropriate?

Do you have a youth that struggles with boundaries?

Do you have a youth who has a history of being passed around a lot as an infant or young child, having a history of many different caregivers?

Do you have a youth who struggles with authority?

If so, then you may have a youth whose brain and body did not wire itself around a secure relationship with a safe adult but rather many different people and they struggle to now understand the difference between safe parental authority and other adults...seeking validation and connection with everyone...or nobody. 

In this week's conversation we explain what indiscriminate attachment is, how it develops, what we can do as caregivers to help these youth grow healthy attachment to a safe person, and a tool you can use to teach healthy social skills and boundaries. 

Episodes references:

Circles Tool Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfBiZQkfPnc & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsSdyDNovzs (you do not have to purchase any program-this is an example of how to talk with and teach your child about appropriate social interactions).