Attachment Studies MSc

This pioneering programme is tailored to the learning needs of busy health and social care professionals including three main course offerings:

• MSc Attachment Studies (180 credits) full-time or part-time
• Postgraduate Certificate in DMM Attachment Based Family Assessment & Intervention: (60 credits) Designed for either individual applicants or for employers to deliver training in the workplace (minium of ten students).

The MSc Attachment Studies course provides students with a specific qualification in the assessment of child and adult attachment, parenting and family functioning. Designed for health and social care professionals, our aim is to prepare you to be at the forefront of the next generation of attachment scholars and practitioners.

This course is best suited for professionals such as psychologists, social workers, therapists, and occupational therapists who are interested in broadening their skills in assessing attachment, improving the outcome of interventions with their clients and conducting small or large scale research projects. Central to the programme is the Patricia Crittenden’s Dynamic Maturational Model of attachment combined with a culturally sensitive approach uniquely applicable to alleviate the suffering of distressed and traumatised people.

The short course blended learning delivery of the programme is designed to enable you to attend and get the most from the programme regardless of your location.  Both the MSc and the Postgraduate Certificate are structured as a series of short courses (usually 2-4 days) with attendance spread through the year – coming into Roehampton approximately twice per term (part-time).  In addition, there is online study to offer flexible ways for learning. 

A unique feature of this programme is the opportunity to learn how to apply and conduct a wide range of assessments and procedures for forensic, clinical or research purposes. All students are required to learn to code at least one procedure where you will be able to achieve clinical or research levels of reliability in analysing the results. 

Although this course does not offer therapeutic training, you will be taught by experts in the field to gain the necessary knowledge to formulate intervention plans and select therapeutic approaches that will benefit your clients.

You will gain a comprehensive understanding of attachment theory including the latest developments in the neuroscience of attachment relationships and parenting. Our systemic approach broadens the study of attachment from mothers and infants to the attachment of older children, adults, family systems and the wider social and community networks.

The interdisciplinary focus on both practice and research is invaluable for students interested in a research career in the field of attachment studies. Examples of recent and current PhD students’ research include the development of the Meaning of the Child to the Parent Interview, the physiology of developmental trauma (PTSD) in children, the effectiveness of play therapy with traumatised children, and attachment in chimpanzees reared by humans.