The Attachment Nest: Interdisciplinary Understanding of Attachment and Human Development Across the Spectrum of (A)Typical Functioning

About this course

Additional course information

• Learning objectives

  Learning Objectives:

  1) Comprehensive Understanding: Develop an in-depth understanding of how attachment forms and its pivotal role in subsequent socioemotional and cognitive development through theoretical and empirical insights.

  2) Assessment Competence: Develop an in-depth understanding of diverse assessment instruments for attachment from infancy to adulthood, fostering informed decision-making.

  3) Caregiving in the Context of Disability: Explore caregiving dynamics within the context of disability, including adaptations of assessment instruments and technology-supported attachment-based interventions.

  Thanks to our interdisciplinary international collaborations with clinicians and researchers, students will:

  • Gain access to an extensive network of partners and experts in the field of attachment and related domains.

  • Engage in thought-provoking group discussions and debates that encourage critical thinking about attachment theory and its clinical applications.

  • Enrich their learning experience through lectures by renowned scholars in the field, providing you with the opportunity to network with professionals at various career levels, from juniors to seniors, and collaborate with peers on group projects.

  • Immerse themselves in a transformative educational experience that combines theoretical depth with practical applications, fostering a global perspective on human attachment development.

• Forms of tuition and assessment

  Forms of tuition and assessment

  Students will be taught through lectures, discussions and workshops.

  Thanks to our interdisciplinary (inter)national collaborations with clinicians and researchers, we can offer students access to an extensive network of partners and experts in the field of attachment and disability. In group discussions and debates, we will invite you to think critically about the theory and its clinical applications. Your learning experience will be further enriched through thought-provoking lectures with renowned scholars in the field. You will have the opportunity to network with scholars at different levels of their careers from juniors to seniors, as well as peers through group project work

  The grade of this course will be based on a presentation and an essay.

  Time distribution

  Mornings: 8 lectures of 2h each 

  Noon/Mid-afternoon: 8 discussions of 1.5h each 

  Noon/Mid-afternoon: 2 workshops of 1.5h each 

  Afternoon: 4 group (self-organized) meetings 

  • Presentations from groups 4 presentations * 5 students 
  • Excursions to lab facilities and care centres for individuals with disabilities

• Course topics

  The course unfolds through three interwoven quests:

  1) Attachment Formation and Development: Delve into the contextual nuances of attachment within the realms of parenting and dyadic/triadic interactions.

  2) Cross-Cultural Considerations and Assessment: Explore the assessment of attachment at different developmental stages and across diverse cultures, emphasizing the cross-cultural validity of the theory.

  3) Implications and Applications of Attachment Theory: Investigate attachment-based interventions, particularly for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and explore the integration of technology to support implementation and delivery.

• About the course coordinator

  Dr. Stefania Vacaru is a postdoctoral fellow at the New York University Abu Dhabi and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research spans a broad range of interests, aimed at understanding the emergence and the development of secure attachment and healthy developmental outcomes. Stefania conducted clinical work on attachment disturbances in institutionalized children, before moving into experimental work and psychobiology, using electrophysiology and biological measures. Stefania has a strong publication record and numerous visits of research lab across Europe, the US and Canada, providing her with deep knowledge, rich technique repertoire and large professional network.

  Prof. dr. Paula Sterkenburg has a chair by special appointment at the Department of Clinical Child and  Family  Studies of the  Faculty of  Behavioural  and  Movement  Sciences and  the Amsterdam Public Health (APH) research centre of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in The Netherlands on ‘Persons with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability, social relations and ICT’. The chair is affiliated to her work as licensed psychologist/therapist at Bartiméus. She is author and co-author of books and publishes articles on attachment, social relations and persons with a visual impairment and/or intellectual disability. Studies most often focus on examining the effect of newly developed or adapted interventions on attachment and social relations between parent/caregiver and child/client, such as serious game interventions. She contributes to the development of guidelines in the field of care for persons with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability and received or was nominated for awards (2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018) for projects building a bridge between research and practice.

• Preliminary course schedule

  You can download the preliminary syllabus for the summer course 2024 with more information and the timetable via this link.

  ^{*Please note that it will be preliminary and that it still might be subject to change.}