Attachment Symposium

Dr Rachel Swanick is Programme Lead for the MA Music Therapy, a Chartered Psychologist, HCPC-registered Music Therapist, and attachment specialist. She is the developer of the ICAT (Interpersonal Constructs and Attachment Theory) framework, integrating attachment theory and construct psychology to support relational practice across therapy, education, and social care.

Her work focuses on trauma, neurodiversity, and the role of context in shaping behaviour and meaning-making. She is the author of A Clinical Guide to ICAT and is passionate about supporting practitioners to create safe, attuned spaces where meaningful change can emerge.

Dr Ben Grey is a social worker, psychologist, Principal Lecturer (for Research) on the Clinical Psychology doctorate at the University of Hertfordshire, and former lead for the attachment programme at the University of Roehampton. He has conducted training, worked in, and published widely on attachment, parenting assessment, family court, and child-welfare practice. He developed the Meaning of the Child Interview (MotC) as part of this work and is the author of The Meaning of the Child Interview: Making Sense of Parent-Child Relationships.

Patricia M. Crittenden studied under Mary. D. Ainsworth from 1978 until 1983, when she received her Ph.D. as a psychologist in the Social Ecology and Development Program at the University of Virginia.

In addition to Mary Ainsworth’s constant guidance and support, her psychology master’s thesis, on the CARE-Index, was developed in consultation with John Bowlby and her family systems research, on patterns of family functioning in maltreating families, was accomplished with guidance from E. Mavis Hetherington. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education, with specializations in mental retardation and emotional disturbance (University of Virginia, 1969.)

Dr Patricia Crittenden has served on the Faculties of Psychology at the Universities of Virginia and Miami and held visiting professorships at the Universities of Helsinki (Finland) and Bologna (Italy) as well as San Diego State University (USA) and Edith Cowan University (Australia).

In 1992 she received a Senior Post-doctoral Fellowship, with a focus on child sexual abuse and the development of individual differences in human sexuality, at the Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire. In 1993-4, she was awarded the Beverley Professorship at the Clark Institute of Psychiatry (Canada).

In the last two decades, Dr Patricia Crittenden has worked cross-culturally as a developmental psychopathologist developing the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) of attachment and adaptation, along with a developmentally attuned, life-span set of procedures for assessing self-protective strategies. DMM-based theory and empirical research authored by Dr Patricia Crittenden have been widely published as books, chapters in books, and empirical articles in developmental and clinical journals.

In 2004, Dr Patricia Crittenden received a career achievement award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Child and Family Development” from the European Family Therapy Association in Berlin.

Currently, Dr Patricia Crittenden’s work is focused on preventive and culture-sensitive applications of the DMM to mental health treatment, child protection, and criminal rehabilitation.

Facilitators: Leanne O’Keeffe and Laura Graham

Leanne is an experienced music therapist who works with children of all ages and abilities in a range of clinical settings, including hospices and special needs schools, focusing on neurodiversity and mental health. Leanne is also a Registered Supervisor, Associate Lecturer in Music Therapy, and Postgraduate Researcher (PhD).

Laura is an award-winning occupational therapist and author with specialist training in sensory integration. By utilising a sensory attachment-informed approach, Laura supports young people and their families who have been impacted by developmental trauma and attachment disruption, sharing the importance of felt safety, regulation, and connection.

Facilitator: Sian Jenner

During Sian's BA in Drama at Worcester University, she discovered a passion for theatre and disability. Wishing to continue at a deeper level, she qualified as a Dramatherapist from Derby in 2012. As a therapist and advocate for young people, Sian ensures their voices are heard and seeks to support their world as a whole and those within it.

Facilitator: Andy Bloor

Andy Bloor is a Senior Lecturer in ITE and SEND in the Institute of Education and Skills at the University of Derby and a member of the Attachment Research Community (ARC).

Andy regularly lectures on Attachment and Attachment Disorder to Initial Teacher Education students, educators, and academics.

Facilitators: Mira Aljallad, Mohamed Rozaik, and Aasea Alhashmi

Mira Aljallad, Mohamed Rozaik, and Aasea Alhashmi are Psychology graduates from Canadian University Dubai, with experience and interests in developmental, clinical, and relational psychology. Their research examines emotion-related terminology in NICU care, exploring how language used to describe preterm infants may shape clinical understanding and early caregiver–infant relationships.

Facilitator: Joanne Mizuro

Joanne Mizuro is a Senior Clinical Educator at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. Since qualifying as a Registered Nurse from the University of Leeds in 2000, she has specialised in adult intensive care and education, gaining over two decades of critical care experience. Having worked through significant organisational change, including cross-site ICU mergers, she developed a strong interest in staff wellbeing, which she explored further through her MSc in Leadership in Health and Social Care.

Facilitator: Anna Guido

Anna Guido graduated from the Conservatory of Alessandria in Music Education, specialising in Music Therapy. She was awarded a PhD scholarship in Music Therapy and Neuroscience and now focuses on women’s mental health, perinatal care, and maternal attachment, collaborating with Dr. Selena Bricco on the “Suoni Tondi” project.

Facilitators: Dr Jessica Guilding & Victoria Butterfield

Dr Jessica Guilding is a Clinical Psychologist and the Child and Young People's Lead for a psychological therapies service. Trained to assess attachment, trauma, ADHD, and Autism, she holds a specialist interest in development, focusing particularly on the impact and interplay between developmental trauma and neurodivergence.

Victoria Butterfield is a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist and Neurodevelopmental Specialist Social Worker specialising in neurodivergence and childhood trauma. Combining professional experience with lived experience as a neurodivergent clinician, she provides assessments and interventions. Her collaborative and trauma-informed approach considers neurotypical expectations and neurodivergent realities.

Facilitator: Sophie Murgatroyd

Sophie is a Dance Teacher, Performer, and Dance Movement Psychotherapist. Sophie works as a Dance Teacher for Care to Dance, a charity supporting care-experienced young people through trauma-informed dance programmes that build wellbeing, belonging, and confidence. Alongside her teaching role, she consults for multiple Care to Dance teams nationally, promoting creative, attachment-focused approaches.

Facilitator: Özgür Salur

Özgür Salur is a certified music therapist and an Oxford Mindfulness Centre-certified MBCT teacher. He integrates trauma-sensitive mindfulness with music therapy, teaching at universities globally and representing Türkiye at the European Music Therapy Confederation. His work bridges clinical practice, education, and cross-cultural perspectives.

Facilitator: Andrea Clare Plunkett

Andrea Clare Plunkett is an Art Psychotherapist based in Dublin and the current Chair of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists (IACAT). She is the first resident Art Therapist at the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) and has over 20 years’ experience working across community, healthcare, educational, and cultural settings.

Andrea’s practice is grounded in attachment theory, meaning making, relational approaches, and the therapeutic potential of cultural spaces. She is particularly interested in how galleries and shared cultural environments can function as spaces for connection, regulation, reflection, and creative expression for people who may feel excluded from cultural institutions.

Facilitator: Eva Phan Quoc

Eva Phan Quoc is a certified music therapist, research associate, and lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. Her main research areas are attachment-based music therapy, early childhood music therapy, and family settings. She coordinates the international network “Music Therapy with Families Hub” and is the EMTC delegate for Austria.