However, a lot of contemporary research has now focused on the role of fathers in creating secure attachment in children. Our understanding of the crucial role of fathers has evolved tremendously since Bowlby’s research, which focused on the mother as the bond of attachment that nurtures and keeps children safe from danger while the attachment bond with the father promotes exploration and gives confidence to venture forth into the world. In today’s families though, the father is not a distant figure but an equal partner who provides both financial security and emotional anchor, just like the mother, and shares the responsibility of raising a family equally. In many blended and non-heterosexual families especially, fathers are not just the breadwinners but also the nurturers and primary caregivers.

In this seminar, we explore more recent studies of fathers and fathering from the perspective of Attachment theory; but also in the context of debates about sex role stereotyping, gender norms in different cultures, and changing ideas about the binary nature of sex and gender in terms of family structures and divisions of labour, both physical and emotional.

At this intellectually stimulating webinar, which will be of interest to psychotherapists, psychologists and counsellors across modalities, Dr Gwen Adshead will:

• Review the origins of Attachment theory in terms of ethology and psychanalysis and discuss the gender exclusive nature of early work on the topic
• Review later and more recent studies of attachment between fathers and their children; and the intersection with gender role stereotypes and cultural expectations of different sexes
• Discuss the importance of the fathering role in terms of attachment security

In addition, in recent decades there have been enormous changes in gender roles with men no longer seen as the career-focused breadwinner and women confined to a role of homemaker and caregiver. Alongside, there have been significant legislative and societal changes in the lives of people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Fertility treatment and gay couples adopting children have changed what a family traditionally looks like.

Using this as the starting point, in the second part of the webinar, Tom Higgins will use three case vignettes and examples to discuss how modern conceptions of parental role manifest in the context of therapy seeking and childhood trauma. The three vignettes will examine some of these societal changes and explore what this means for fatherhood. We will explore:

• The impact on both parents in a heterosexual relationship of parenting roles that differ significantly from traditional gender norms
• What fatherhood means in a family for a gay male couple and their children
• Parenting roles in a family for a lesbian couple and their children 

Some of the pertinent themes in contemporary family settings explored in the three vignettes will include:

• An examination of attachment relationships in the family
• Inter-generational and cultural expectations about parenting roles
• The impact of societal pressure on families
• The impact of childhood trauma and other difficulties that lead members of each family to seek therapy
• Reflection on changes that came about for the three families (in these vignettes) during therapy

Specifically, the webinar will:

• Examine the various factors that influence the construction of fatherhood, such as cultural context and understanding of gender roles
• Explore the changes that took place during therapy, the impact on attachment relationships and approaches to therapy
• Discuss early understanding of the role of fathers in families
• Review of more recent research in attachment theory that addresses the role of fathers
• Reflect on the implications for therapists

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