Our History

Individually IAN's founding membership led by Dr Mario Marrone (former Chair and current Executive Committee member) Dr Tirill Harris (former Chair) researched and published numerous ideas on attachment theory and its application, producing texts on neurobiology, psychoanalysis, trauma and violence, disabilities, neo-natal care, immigration, politics, the body, group and family therapy among many others.

• Collectively, IAN deepened the academic profile, public policy role and international awareness of attachment theory.

  IAN established the UK's first dedicated course in attachment theory at University College London (UCL) and in 1999 IAN launched the first journal in attachment theory, its official journal, the Journal of Attachment and Human Development (Taylor Francis). It featured a notable editorial team of Mario Marrone, Howard Steele, John Bing-Hall, Tirill Harris and Peter Fonagy. Today it remains a leading international authority on attachment theory and research and as well as the official journal of the International Attachment Network it is now also the official journal of the Society for Emotion and Attachment Studies (SEAS).

Promoting the vital place of attachment theory in public policy at home and in Europe, and continuing the work of John Bowlby in lobbying on child mental health, IAN represented by Chair Mario Marrone joined the European branch of the World Federation for Mental Health in Brussels as part of the programme 'Mental health for Children aged 0-6 (1997-2000), in liaison with the European Union. In 2001, sponsored by the European Parliament IAN organised an international conference in Luxembourg where European clinicians and academics gathered to network and establish formal research and professional linkages. Today IAN remains proudly active at a European level, and is currently a research partner in an EU project to improve EU-wide family mental health.

From the outset IAN established a presence in Spain, the location of many of IAN's conferences and where a group of IAN members established the Attachment and Human Development Laboratory (University of Girona). Spain remains a location for many IAN academic activities; in the more recent past, the International Attachment Network has launched a series of online courses on attachment theory, originally directed by Elsa Wolfberg, and attended by students from around the Spanish speaking world. IAN has developed a strong presence in Latin America and now has chapters in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay and Mexico. With a focus on international expansion, IAN also has active chapters in China and Italy as well as representative presences in both the US and Canada.

Today through our programmes of training, events, research and collaboration, we continue the success of our founding team. Now a dominant theory of human development and pathology, we focus much of our work on promoting attachment theory beyond its existing applications, bringing together researchers, clinicians and professionals;

Beyond geographical borders – our 2017 joint International Attachment Conference with SEAS in London attracted over 600 delegates from over 40 countries; Beyond the clinical environment – we educated OFSTED on the application of attachment theory to the treatment of children in care-homes; Beyond traditional psychotherapy – in Elche, Spain, we ran a successful workshop for psychological clinicians on trauma sensitive yoga; Beyond local issues – we remain proud to speak out on public policy, such as registering our protest at US immigration policy with a letter to the President of the United States.