Attachment Theory Training & CPD for Professionals | IAN UK
Professional training for therapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers and practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding and application of attachment theory.
Whether you are new to attachment theory or looking to develop your clinical practice, IAN UK offers training, discussion groups, reading groups and professional development opportunities connecting attachment research with real-world practice.
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Become part of a professional community dedicated to advancing attachment-informed practice, with access to resources, events, and peer connection. You can choose your membership here.
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Members receive priority access to specialist attachment theory training, workshops, and practitioner-focused learning opportunities, along with discounted rates.
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Receive regular updates on upcoming CPD courses, events, and developments in attachment research and practice when you join our membership or sign up to our newsletter.
Reading Groups * NEW
Our reading groups offer a more structured learning space centred on key texts in attachment theory and research. Participants are invited to engage with selected readings in advance (or during the session), with facilitation supporting deeper understanding, critical reflection, and links to practice. Engage with key texts in attachment theory and research through facilitated reading, critical reflection and discussion.
Reading Groups — Explore the Literature.
We will begin our first group led by Nicola Jones on the 14th September 2026 (7:15pm-9:15pm) with reading Chapter 7 of John Bowlby’s book A Secure Base. This is freely available on the internet as a PDF which we will forward when you book on. Members can also find it in our library. £15 per session. (Member discounts apply)
We will discuss Chapter 6 of John Bowlby’s book A Secure Base. This is freely available on the internet as a PDF which will will forward when you book on. Members can also find it in our library. £15 per session. (Member discounts apply)
In this Reading Group we will discuss Chapter 8 of John Bowlby’s book A Secure Base. This is freely available on the internet as a PDF which will will forward when you book on. Members can also find it in our library. £15 per session. (Member discounts apply)
We will discuss Chapter 3 of John Bowlby’s book A Secure Base. This is freely available on the internet as a PDF which will will forward when you book on. Members can also find it in our library. £15 per session. (Member discounts apply)
Join our monthly discussion groups. Places limited.
Discussion Groups — Explore the Application.
Explore how attachment theory can inform clinical practice and our understanding of relationships through facilitated discussion and shared professional perspectives
In this discussion group, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and classical composer Jackie Levitky invites us to explore creative activity through an attachment-informed lens.
Together, we will consider the relationship between safety and exploration; play, curiosity and uncertainty; and the ways creative activity can enable us to express and communicate experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
Application of Attachment Theory Discussion Group
Join Beatriz Folch for a thought-provoking discussion exploring Thinking Relationally About Autism: Exploring Attachment, Family Experience, and Clinical Practice- A Discussion Group. Details to follow.
Application of Attachment Theory Discussion Group
Join Dr Kate Brown for an engaging discussion on Musical Soundscapes : Attachment informed perspectives on the implications and applications of music in the therapeutic encounter.
Sound creates our first awareness of another, informing us, even en
utero that we are not alone. In our final moments softly spoken loving
words might be the thing that we most long to hear. Throughout the
life-span, music and sound informs how we learn, work, rest, and play.
Music has implications for how we interact in groups, how we tell
stories and construct narratives, and how we regulate or manipulate
affect. Music can also be inherently political, voicing the sound of
grief, protest and mourning. Yet our responses to music and musical
interests might too infrequently claim our attention in the therapeutic
encounter. Drawing from examples of music in therapeutic communities,
use of music with children in care, and adults in therapeutic-treatment,
and lived experience of being a life-long music fan and occasional
performer, musics place in therapy is explored. The therapists use of
self as someone with a musical interest and cultural history is also
considered. Musicality’s power to enhance therapy and communicate what
might be preverbal or unconscious, and possible contra-indications about
use of music is explained. This talk concludes with highlighting that
although as therapists we might always be listening, when we pay
attention to the musicality of the interaction, there is more to be
heard.