California-based counseling psychologist Nadine Macaluso is the author of Persephone and Delphina: Treating Women’s Depression Through Myth and Archetypal Stories. Nadine Macaluso attended Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California, before beginning doctoral coursework on depth psychology with a focus on somatic psychology. 

The field of somatic psychology has grown tremendously in recent years. Somatic psychology can be categorized as a body-oriented approach to therapy. Originally conceived of through the works of Pierre Janet and Wilhelm Reich, somatic psychotherapy is considered to be an energy- and character-driven type of therapy.

The overarching philosophy in somatic psychotherapy makes no distinction between body and mind. Instead, somatic psychology places an emphasis upon the all-important connection between an individual’s physical health and mental well-being. Certain practitioners of somatic psychotherapy extend this belief even further, asserting that all personal experiences, global events, and changes in the cultural and external atmosphere are related to one another.

Nadine Macaluso, a marriage and family therapist intern at a California private practice, works with couples and individuals who want to resolve relationship problems. Active within the professional community, Nadine Macaluso maintains membership in several organizations, including the International Association for the Study of Attachment (IASA).

Since its establishment in 2007, IASA has promoted the improvement of treatment for attachment. Using the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation as its base, IASA strives to create a more complex theory of attachment that considers the familial, developmental, contextual, and biological influences on attachment. Through increased communication between professionals, a variety of disciplines work together toward improving treatments.

To help achieve its goal, IASA fosters basic research on various aspects of mental health treatment and integrates the new theories and results from its research into existing theories. Also serving as an advocate for the field, the association provides evidence of clinical treatment advances, develops clinical practice models, and speaks to policy-makers about problems within the field. Through the continued support of its members, IASA hopes to continue its research into improved clinical treatments for attachment.