MINDinMIND Legacy Interview × Circle of Security
Welcome to Circle of Security International.
Bert Powell, Glen Cooper and Kent Hoffman began working together in Spokane in 1985, building what would become the Circle of Security out of years of clinical work with families who were hard to reach. As featured in the MINDinMIND Legacy Interview: The Clinical Story Behind the Model on 9 July 2026, their approach has now been used to train more than 35,000 providers across 20 countries.
At Circle of Security International, our focus is on helping caregivers connect with the children in their lives. The Circle of Security figure is a central visual used as part of interventions and engagement programs for caregivers, all of which are focused on helping caregivers reflect upon children's attachment needs in order to promote secure attachment.
The Circle of Security — toddler and preschool years
The Circle of Security is a visual map of attachment — of the push and pull between a child's need to explore the world and their need to return for comfort, protection and help with feelings. The caregiver holds both: a Secure Base to go out from, and a Safe Haven to come back to.
"Intimate attachments to other human beings are the hub around which a person's life revolves, not only as an infant or a toddler or a schoolchild but throughout adolescence and years of maturity as well, and on into old age. From these intimate attachments a person draws strength and enjoyment of life and, through what he contributes, gives strength and enjoyment to others."
— John Bowlby, Attachment and Loss (1980)
Watch: the Circle of Security in practice. Download the video.
Download the Circle of Security in your language — and keep learning.
Map of Regions
