Kelly McDaniel Therapy

Continuing Education Course 

Supporting Adult Daughters with Insecure Attachment: Understanding Mother Hunger to Treat Attachment Wounds

Many clinicians support clients who are trapped in cycles of harmful behaviors. Struggles with addictive sex and love, periods of overeating or starving, and cyclical depressive episodes marked with anxiety. The painful thought patterns that come with these behaviors can be very challenging to understand and change.

Therapist and bestselling author Kelly McDaniel witnessed these traits over and over in her practice and discovered a common thread – her clients held a deep yearning for a mother’s love, attention, and care that was not met during childhood. She named this invisible attachment injury “Mother Hunger.” The name resonated with many and changed the nature of her practice.

Now you can join McDaniel for a three-hour training that explores the essential elements of Mother Hunger and how insecure attachment forms. Emerge with helpful, healing tools for you and your clients to attune to the emptiness resulting from unmet maternal needs.

Presenter: Kelly McDaniel, LCMHC
When: Thursday, Aug. 29. 2024
9 am–12 pm EST
Location: Online
Credit Available: 3 CE hours

The registration fee is $249

Program Objectives

  • Identify Insecure Attachment as Mother Hunger
  • Learn the three essential elements of “mothering” to locate what was lost during formative years and recognize symptoms of unmet, developmental needs
  • Review the cultural double bind that sets the stage for Mother Hunger to grow
  • Identify varying degrees of Mother Hunger, including Third Degree Mother Hunger
  • Identify obstacles to treating Mother Hunger
  • Learn healing interventions for Mother Hunger

Supporting Adult Daughters with Insecure Attachment: Understanding Mother Hunger to Treat Attachment Wounds has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Kelly McDaniel Therapy is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-4632.

Session Overview

Session 1 (60 minutes):

Unmet Maternal Needs

  • Understand the primacy of our attachment system and the formation of attachment injuries.
  • Define the three essential elements of maternal care: Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance.
  • Explore harmful cultural influences affecting maternal care.

Session 2 (50 minutes):

Attachment Injury, Grief, and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress

  • Identify the spectrum of attachment injuries and their varying levels of challenge in treatment. 
  • Understand Disorganized Attachment, termed by McDaniel as “Third Degree Mother Hunger.”
  • Explore the profound impacts of Third-Degree Mother Hunger, including profound grief, increased risk of addiction, and Symptoms of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) 
  • Differentiate between PTSD and C-PTSD and examine the long-term health and relational consequences of both. 
Session 3 (60 minutes)

Treatment for Mother Hunger; Helping Clients Heal

  • Identify obstacles to treating attachment injuries.
  • Explore concepts of “apology ache” and “frozen grief” to understand why treatment may stall.
  • Learn two interventions to help clients recognize and break away from cycles of shame and fear and address issues related to Mother Hunger and Insecure Attachment adaptations.

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at contact@kellymcdanieltherapy.com