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Advocates for Children in Therapy (ACT) is a non-profit U.S. advocacy group which is opposed to "Attachment therapy." The group believes that some of the psychotheraputic techniques used in attachment therapy are potentially harmful to children who undergo the treatment. Their mission is to provide advocacy by "raising general public awareness of the dangers and cruelty" of practices related to attachment therapy. According to the group, "ACT works to mobilize parents, professionals, private and governmental regulators, prosecutors, juries, and legislators to end the physical torture and emotional abuse that is Attachment Therapy."

The group is led by Linda Rosa, RN, Executive Director; her spouse Larry Sarner, Administrative Director; and Jean Mercer, Chairman of Professional Board of Advisors.

Opposition to Attachment Therapy

Attachment therapy is an ambiguous term with no precise professional meaning but popularly used to describe controversial, non-mainstream "treatments" for children allegedly suffering from attachment disorder, in itself an ambiguous term. The term has been applied to a wide array of different therapies by different groups. There are many variants, for example “rebirthing therapy,” “compression holding therapy,” “corrective attachment therapy,” “the Evergreen model,” “holding time,” or “rage-reduction therapy” . ACT describe attachment therapy" as "the imposition of boundary violations - most often coercive restraint - and verbal abuse on a child, usually for hours at a time...typically, the child is put in a lap hold with the arms pinned down, or alternatively an adult lies on top of a child lying prone on the floor" and as "a growing, underground movement for the 'treatment' of children who pose disciplinary problems to their parents or caregivers." The group further notes that attachment therapy "almost always involves extremely confrontational, often hostile confrontation of a child by a therapist or parent (sometimes both). Restraint of the child by more powerful adult(s) is considered an essential part of the confrontation" and refers to attachment therapy as "the worst quackery in our nation today."

ACT has seven criteria that it gives as the defining characteristics of attachment therapy.

ACT has advocated for the elimination of attachment therapy and is also critical of the referral of children for government-funded attachment therapy by courts and state workers, referring to such practices as "state-sponsored torture."

Activities

The group reports that its three leaders were directly involved in prosecution of the Candace Newmaker case. "All three authors assisted the prosecution in the “rebirthing” trial that resulted in historic 16-year sentences for therapists Connell Watkins and Julie Ponder." Both Connell Watkins and Julie Ponder were unlicensed in the state of Colorado(see the Candace Newmaker article for more details. ACT has also entered statements into the record at Congressional hearings on mental health issues.

Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker (1993), written by Larry W. Sarner, Jean Mercer, and Linda Rosa was published in 2003. ACT sporadically publishes an electronic newsletter, "AT News".

See also

• Attachment Therapy
• Candace Newmaker
• Quackwatch
• Rebirthing

References

1. Chaffin, M. et al (2006) Report of the APSAC Task Force on Attachment Therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Attachment problems. | Journal= Child Maltreatment 2006;11;76| pages=77 | DOI: 10.1177/1077559505283699 |
2. ACT overview of attachment therapy
3. New Book Examines AT
4. Siegen, Barry. Seeking Child's Love, a Child's Life is Lost, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4 Feb 2001, p A1,A22-A24
5. Auge, Karen. Alternative therapies not new in Evergreen, Denver Post June 17, 2000
6. Statement of Larry W. Sarner and Jean Mercer, Ph.D, Advocates for Children in Therapy, Loveland, Colorado

External links

• Advocates for Children in Therapy

• Advocacy groups
• Non-profit organizations based in the United States