Mental Health & Human Resilience

Aim: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the value of Marte Meo therapy in establishing, re-establishing and supporting attachment and resilient relationships between caregivers and their children.  These researches examined previous works on attachment theory and suggest ways in which the Marte Meo method may provide a practical application of this theory. 

Methods: There was a brief history of attachment theory and a review of relevant literature which includes such theorists as Bowlby, Ainsworth, Main, Stern, Schore and Aarts and makes reference to others in the area of attachment. A qualitative approach was decided upon whereby the methods chosen were as follows; two focus groups and three interviews were convened. Applying an interpretive approach, thematic analysis led to a number of themes to emerge. Direct quotes authenticated the research and gave it an experiential aspect.

Results: The findings suggest that Marte Meo therapy clearly supports caregivers to form attachments with their children throughout the developing therapeutic relationship between caregiver and therapist, through the information given to caregivers from the analysis of their film and through the selection of pictures which allow caregivers to see their child, often for the first time. 

Conclusions: In light of this research, it would seem Marte Meo Therapy should not be assimilated into attachment theory or any other theories, its effectiveness may lie in its practical nature and concreteness. Research participants suggested Marte Meo therapy as an intervention is sometimes overlooked because it has not been researched or written about in a significant way.

Recent Publications

1.      Howe D (2005) Child Abuse and Neglect: Attachment, Development and Intervention. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: org/10.1007/978-0-230-80239-1