Book Review THE CIRCLE OF SECURITY INTER- VENTION: ENHANCING ATTACH- MENT IN EARLY PARENT–CHILD RELATIONSHIPS. By Bert Powell, Glen Cooper, Kent Hoffman, and Bob Marvin. The Guilford Press, New York, NY, 2014. pp. 396. Price $**. ISBN 978-1-59385-314-3. In The Circle of Security Intervention: En- hancing Attachment in Early Parent-child Relationships, Bert Powell, Glen Cooper, Kent Hoffman, and Bob Marvin intro- duce an alternative to behavioral de- velopmental interventions. The result of many years of application across multiple and diverse domains, this book describes the theoretical basis and practice of the Circle of Security (COS) intervention. Grounded in object relations and attachment theories, the goal of this 20-session parent–child intervention is to solidify the parent’s role as a secure base for the child. Through supporting parents or caregivers in learning to more sensitively attune to the needs of their child, the COS protocol aims to improve dyadic interactions and the parent–child relationship, thus bolster- ing the child’s attachment to the parent. The protocol is presented through three well-organized sections. First, the authors introduce the theoretical basis of this intervention. In the second portion of the book, the authors thor- oughly explain the various evaluative and clinical stages of the 20-week intervention. Finally, the authors pres- ent case examples to demonstrate how this treatment model is translated from the standardized protocol to the uniquely conceptualized individual. In the first six chapters of the book, the authors highlight key concepts of attachment theory and its perspective on the immense importance of the early parent–child relationship. To first convey the critical importance of the early relational experience, the authors review the findings and ideas of many notable figures in the field of develop- ment including Fraiberg, Stern, and Main, to name only a few. The COS protocol aims to integrate the clinical domain and concepts from attachment and object relations theories, those of James Masterson in particular. The authors skillfully summarize many of the basic concepts of attachment theory, those that are fundamental to the so-called ‘Circle of Security’. A corner- stone of this intervention, concepts and theories related to dyadic interactions are often presented to parents through both metaphor and concrete depiction. The ’Circle of Security’ serves as a meta- phor for the holding environment, as described in attachment theory, that enables a child to flourish. This concept of the parent as a safe haven and a secure base is further highlighted through user-friendly diagrams. These diagrams serve to make the ideas presented in the COS intervention even more accessible to practitioners and, as a component to the larger course of treatment, to parents themselves. After providing a brief but thorough summary of key theoretical concepts, the authors continue in the second section to lay the groundwork for the primary targets of the COS intervention (chapters 7–12). The protocol begins by evaluating the behaviour of parent and child, both when the attachment system is activated and when it is not. It is through observa- tions (including the Strange Situation Procedure), parent interviews, and clini- cal conceptualization, that a treatment plan is designed to highlight the dyad’s strengths and struggles. These struggles are addressed with attention to what the authors refer to as the parent’s ‘core sensi- tivities’ or long-standing defenses against Infant and Child Development Inf. Child. Dev. 23: 455–456 (2014) Published online 12 February 2014 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/icd.1839 Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.