Using Family Attachment Narrative Therapy to Heal the Wounds of Twinship: A Case Study of an 11-Year-Old Boy

This paper describes the utilization of Family Attachment Narrative Therapy with an 11-year-old boy experiencing significant behavioral and developmental problems emerging from his experience of identical twinship and associated parental failure. This innovative treatment model is demonstrated to be a useful tool for changing the child’s faulty self narrative resulting in improved functioning. The critical element of the reworked schema is the perception of self as complete, adequate, worthy and cherished. Family Attachment Narrative Therapy is also shown to facilitate increased parental attunement to the child’s inner state and parent-child bonding. This study highlights the unique developmental challenges facing young twins and the related complexity of the parental role.