The 2017 Hershey Conference on Attachment & Clinical Practice

Developmental scientists view attachment theory as one of the most preeminent approaches to understanding social and emotional development. However, in the clinical arena, attachment theory is seldom utilized in research trials and often misunderstood by many practicing clinicians. The Hershey Conference on Attachment and Clinical Practice aims to bring the developmental and clinical science of attachment theory to practicing clinicians in an applicable and accessible manner. Clinicians who attend the conference will be informed about recent findings from the science of attachment that they can immediately utilize in their own clinical practice.

This year’s conference will focus specifically on the impact of early severe deprivation for the development of the child, and how this research informs clinical services for all children. Many of the sessions will discuss the findings from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), an ongoing longitudinal study of children who, as infants, were originally living in institutions (e.g., orphanages) in Romania.