Therapeutic Groupwork

Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life

I offer introductory, three-day, and ongoing group workshops to professional care givers including counsellors, psychotherapists, physiotherapists, social workers, teachers, foster carers, doctors, consultants, surgeons, nurses, care assistants, solicitors, in fact anyone with a caring role.

These workshops use ‘The McCluskey Model for Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life’ which explores all aspects of human activity, offering a comprehensive framework within which to explore patterns of relating.

“The dynamics of attachment consist of several goal-corrected systems. These are careseeking, caregiving, sexuality, exploratory interest sharing with peers, the personal system for self-defence, the internal supportive or unsupportive environment and the personally created external supportive environment (home/lifestyle). The theory suggests that these systems work together as a single process to contribute to and maintain maximum wellbeing.” McCluskey, U. 2014.

What is Attachment

Attachment is a biological system -present from birth- designed to protect us and keep us from harm. We are biologically preprogrammed to seek a care giver to keep us safe from predators. This biological system is there from cradle to grave, across the whole life cycle.

Patterns which were laid down in early childhood remain with us, and unless they developed in a ‘good enough’ way with safe secure environment are often outdated and full of fear meaning we do not attach securely and feel safe in the world and relationships.

The theory 

According to attachment theory, our experiences related to seeking and providing care stem from infancy and significantly influence our expectations and responses in adulthood. This experiential programme provides a structured and facilitated invitation for you to explore and recognise how these patterns manifest in your behaviours and relationships. It provides you with an opportunity to enhance your ability to identify these experiences and, when appropriate, explore new approaches that help enhance your well-being and creativity, reducing fear and anxiety, and develop your ways of relating to others.

Who are the workshops for

These workshops are especially suitable for those in paid care giving roles, and who are interested in self-reflection, personal growth, and enhancing wellbeing and relationships. They and can support vitality, creativity, and the prevention or recovery from burnout — challenges that are increasingly common in today’s working world.

The Workshop Approach

These powerful experiential workshops offer participants a unique opportunity to explore their own attachment dynamics within the safety of a confidential, closed group. Participants often find that this method of group work quickly establishes a sense of safety and trust, creating an environment that supports deep exploration and meaningful reflection.

Each session includes a brief theoretical input on the attachment system being explored, followed by experiential group work. The group setting provides a collaborative learning space, where each person’s exploration offers opportunities for reflection and learning for others.

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Upcoming Events & Workshops

 Ongoing Attachment Group – Starts October 2026

Venue: Saint Michael’s Centre, Abergavenny
Time: First Wednesday of each month, 6:00–8:15pm
Cost: £288 (£36 per session)

This closed ongoing evening group offers the opportunity to explore each of the seven attachment systems sequentially, with a final reflection session in month eight. The group provides a safe and supportive environment for deep personal exploration and growth.

The next intake for new members will open in October 2026.
Please contact me to enquire or join the waiting list.

Introductory Sessions

These shorter sessions provide a chance to dip your toe into exploring your careseeking and caregiving attachment systems, or to deepen your understanding if you’ve already experienced this work. Each session takes place in a supportive group setting.

Please email me if you would like to express interest in an introductory session.

 Three-Day Experiential – March 6–8, 2026

Venue: Black Mountains Barns, Cloddock, set in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside within the Black Mountains.
Cost: £300 — Early bird £280 if paid by the end of January 2026, concessionary places available. 

Join us for a three-day experiential workshop exploring all seven attachment systems within a small, supportive group. The weekend includes time for exploration, reflection, and rest — supported by delicious lunches and snacks prepared by our chef, Emily, and surrounded by stunning views.

An optional dip and sauna will be available on Saturday evening.
Local, reasonably priced accommodation is available nearby, with the option to bring your own caravan.

Facilitators: Tina Abbott & Sharan Collins
📧 Email to enquire and book:

A colleague's personal reflection on the model
I heard about these workshops from a colleague who told me I absolutely ‘had to try one’! At the time I was managing a counselling service, along with a counselling trainee programme within a highly pressured institution with high standards and expectations. I had been a therapist for 20 years and was somewhat burnout, finding management demanding with relentless pressures. I also had some issues with ‘imposter syndrome’ and basically just wanted out of the therapy world, feeling worlds away from the passion I had for therapy during my training and work in the field in the early stages of my career. I was finding my therapeutic work with clients and supervisees utterly exhausting and arrived at every holiday break exhausted with no energy to engage in anything other than rest.

I was nervous attending my first experiential, would I like it, would I be able to engage, was I to exhausted to get anything from it? It was an extremely intense three days but I was blown away! I came away incredibly energised! It had been amazing- this method goes soooo deep so quickly and the way of facilitating is just so safe. It is the safest I have ever felt in a group.

Since then, I have done multiple groups and gained something different from each one. You can literally keep attending these experientials and find each one different, evoking different thoughts and personal work. I have been with several different facilitators and whilst they do have a slightly different style obviously, the method and model is similar and holds the group safely.

How to explain the model
It is difficult to explain the model without experiencing it! Over my training, and subsequent career and ongoing continuing professional development I have experienced many therapeutic groups. This method is different, very different. And everyone who experiences it says the same.

Firstly, the group is structured and task orientated. You explore each of the seven attachment systems in turn, taking one system per session. There is a brief theoretical introduction to the system being explored and then you are invited to jump in and explore that system individually with the facilitator. You are invited to work ‘alongside’ other participants while they are working with the facilitator. Monitoring your own thoughts, feelings and reactions to their work but rarely giving feedback or responses to others.

THE most freeing aspect of this way of working is the invitation to be ‘off duty’, to allow the facilitator to be the care giver, and notice when and if you want to look after another participant. This frees you to deeply immerse yourself in your own work.

When it is your turn to explore the facilitator deeply reflects what you are saying, rarely gives interpretations or feedback but lets you hear yourself and feel heard. You are often invited to look around the group and that is so powerful! You can see they have heard you, but you also know you are not going to get other responses or thoughts, you will just be heard. It is SOO powerful and feels SOO safe.

What impact has it had?
The groupwork has had a profound impact on my life both personally and professionally. I have examined my care giving system and realised how my defensive style of care giving was what was draining me, and how I was not good at care seeking, even in support of my work. I have tonnes more energy, I am thoroughly enjoying my work having rediscovered my passion and enthusiasm for it, I want to work longer hours-I am not watching the clock. I have energy at the weekend and for holidays. Work gives me energy in the main. I have put in place far more support for my work and started voluntary work in a related area which feeds and nourishes me. I love this work and cannot express the depth of my appreciation for it ! There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe it and the life changing impact it has had on me.