A Grounded Theory Study of the Counseling Process with Clients who have Experienced Attachment Trauma

The purpose of this study is to understand what clients with attachment trauma experience experienced in short-term counseling with an integrated approach, explore the process of change, and build a substantive theory based on this. I'm doing it. For the purpose of the study, among adult clients aged 18 or older who had past attachment trauma experiences and who visited a local counseling center for various superficial complaints and received counseling, 13 people who voluntarily expressed their willingness to participate in the study were selected as final participants. The data collected through in-depth interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire were analyzed according to the grounded theory method suggested by Strauss and Corbin, and as a result of the analysis, 114 concepts, 40 subcategories, and 18 categories were ultimately derived. The research results based on data analysis are summarized as follows. First, the central phenomenon experienced by participants who experienced attachment trauma during short-term counseling in an integrated approach was ‘struggling to face a torn heart.’ Second, the core category of the counseling process of participants who experienced attachment trauma was ‘reconstructing attachment trauma into a story of acceptance and change.’ This study provides clues to a more in-depth understanding of people who have experienced attachment trauma and appropriate and effective treatment intervention, and provides a paradigm to approach attachment trauma research at an ontological level. It is significant in that it can provide basic data and practical knowledge to centers or public institutions that provide consultation.