Nadine Macaluso has earned degrees from Pacifica Graduate Institute in both counseling psychology and depth psychotherapy with a focus on somatic psychology. At present, Nadine Macaluso is working on a doctoral dissertation that discusses the neuro-affective relational model (NARM).

Used in psychotherapy, NARM helps individuals work through traumatic issues or incidents that have caused feelings of anxiety or depression. NARM draws from both cognitive and somatic approaches to regulating the nervous system and rectifying issues of self-worth, including low self-esteem, feelings of shame, and continuous self-judgment. NARM specifically helps to treat these issues in individuals who have experienced developmental, shock, and relational trauma.

By drawing connections between the most functional and organized aspects of the individual’s nervous system, NARM treatments underscore the important link between biological and psychological development. NARM sometimes is called a “bottom up, top down” approach in reference to its effects on both the brain and body.
 
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.
 
A marriage and family therapist and author of Persephone and Delphina: Treating Women’s Depression Through Myth and Archetypal Stories, Nadine Macaluso currently works as a private practitioner in Southern California. Beyond her professional responsibilities, Nadine Macaluso remains a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and the International Association for the Study of Attachment.

Below is a brief overview of the theory of attachment.

Question #1: What is attachment?

Answer #1: Experts define attachment as the “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” The learning/behaviorist attachment theory proposes that individuals learn to become attached, while the evolutionary theory argues that children are preprogrammed to become attached to others.

Question #2: What are the different cycles of attachment?

Answer #2: There are various stages or cycles of attachment, including infancy, preschool age, school age, adolescence, and adulthood.

Question #3: Where did the theory of attachment originate?

Answer #3: The attachment theory originated in the 1930s with John Bowlby, a psychiatrist in London who worked with children who were emotionally disturbed. Dr. Bowlby first arrived at the theory of attachment after witnessing how distressed young children became when they were apart from their mothers.
 
As a marriage and family therapist, Nadine Macaluso provides counseling to individuals, couples, and families in her Manhattan Beach, California-based private practice. To keep abreast of the latest developments in the industry, Nadine Macaluso maintains her affiliation with the Depth Psychology Alliance and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) is preparing to host its upcoming Fall Symposium, which will take place Nov. 8-9, 2013 at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort in Anaheim, California. The symposium will offer opportunities for continuing medical education, as well as workshops that address topics such as what therapists should be aware of when counseling military clients; how to handle clients who have suicidal tendencies; and strategies for counseling adolescents.

Representing more than 30,000 members, the CAMFT is dedicated to promoting the profession of marriage and family therapy as an art and science. The organization is also committed to advancing and protecting the interests of its members and upholding the highest standards of professionalism.