So many times I’ve sat in the room with the Therapeutic Parenting trainers, and the parents are talking about how afraid they are – they are afraid of all kinds of things. We all use terms like ‘respite’ and ‘placements’ in front of children which is not ideal or thoughtful. With patience, support and work the process can result, says Hughes, in ‘greater open communications and conflicts more easily resolved, leading to more shared interests and values and stronger relationships.

Home - Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma

This is an effective way of parenting all children and is especially significant for parents who are caring for children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences or children who are neurodivergent. I became a qualified social worker in 2016 and I have experience of working in children’s social care for a local authority and in the private sector. High cortisol levels in children can be like a smoke alarm constantly going off but with therapeutic parenting this can be quietened or switched off. The Scared Gang– box set to read with children, written by Éadaoin Bhreathnach, Occupational Therapist and Attachment Counsellor.One of the first things I really learned from the interactions between my team at Dynamis and Sarah’s team at the National Association of Therapeutic Parents is that the methods that teachers would normally use to manage behaviour in a classroom would actually be counterproductive for a child who’s got significant trauma or attachment issues.

Therapeutic Parenting from Inspire Training Group Home: Therapeutic Parenting from Inspire Training Group

Little else could be more destructive to a family unit than a child who is violent and aggressive towards their adoptive or foster parents.I first learnt about DDP, PACE and therapeutic parenting in 2020 and I became passionate about this approach when I saw the positive impact it had. I found that therapeutic parenting techniques were equally effective when parenting children with FASD as this was rarely a ‘stand-alone’ condition. During the period between 0-3 a child’s brain is still forming so, for example, if a child cried and didn’t get fed, that developmental pathway is turned off so it can’t distinguish if it’s hungry or not. These children can then present with behaviours, including violence, that are very difficult for adults and parents to understand and deal with. As a trailblazer in the field of therapeutic parenting, COECT founder Sarah Naish has made a profound difference to the lives of many struggling foster and adoptive parents.

The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting: Strategies and Solutions

You may be puzzling over why your traumatised child’s behaviour around birthdays and festivities becomes even more challenging and difficult than normal. if I had not had the correct training myself, I don’t know how I would’ve got my children safely to adulthood with our relationship intact.I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the staff of the National Association of Therapeutic Parents (NATP) who support me in our mission to provide effective support to all Therapeutic Parents and change lives for children who have suffered trauma. I have developed a passion and commitment to understanding developmental trauma and therapeutic parenting and can see that children need the gift of understanding their own stories. When this is achieved, both parent and child feel safe and lovable enough to engage in a healthy attachment-bond. My main role in TRUE is to provide support and a safe place for foster parents to talk through their successes, fears, frustrations, or anything else.