The Therapeutic Parenting Podcast

It is often really difficult for the professionals involved to know if a group of traumatized siblings should be kept together or separated once they've been removed from their birth families.
There are so many factors to weigh in the balance such as:

• Do the siblings depend on each other and have they formed an unbreakable bond?
• Or is there intense rivalry and jealousy between them?
• Have the boys been encouraged to think they are more important than the girls?
• Will learned patterns of behaviour make re-parenting and learning new cultural norms an uphill battle?
• Is an older child violent to a younger one?
• Does one child show highly sexualised behaviour to another?

How can a parent meet the different needs of each individual child within a sibling group?
And how can parents successfully raise traumatized siblings so that they retain happy memories of their childhood?
Social worker, academic and mother of two sibling boys, Jessica Jackson, talks from her own challenging experience with plentiful advice on how to overcome problems.
(Jessica recommends using Theraplay techniques for therapeutic games the whole family can play and enjoy)
You can find out more about COECT and the NATP's training, listening circles and support here https://www.naotp.com/
The Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma is an umbrella organisation combining resources, research and knowledge from cutting edge experts in the sector – Inspire Training Group, National Association of Therapeutic Parents, Sarah Naish – Keynote Speaker and Author, The Haven – Parenting and Wellbeing Centre and Safer Fostering.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CoEChildTrauma

Telephone – 01453 519000

Email – [email protected]

Website - www.coect.co.uk

Little else could be more destructive to a family unit than a child who is violent and aggressive towards their adoptive or foster parents.
In this week's episode, our expert guest, Jane Mitchell, tells us that children can show superhuman strength when their fears are adrenaline-fuelled.
The result can be harm to the parents and costly damage to the family home.
As Jane explains, this behaviour is a symptom of the child's sense of overwhelm triggered by traumatic memories. They're not conscious of what they're doing and parents need to put into place careful plans and strategies to cope.
There's plenty of good advice here on effective de-escalation techniques and Jane also refers to two courses* provided by the National Association of Therapeutic Parents (the NATP) as well as to the non-violence resistance courses available through many local authorities in the UK.
The vast majority of children who behave this way learn to control their fears with the right kind of therapeutic parenting - and to move forward into a more settled way of life.
*Therapeutically De-escalating Violence 6-week Programme and the Introduction to De-escalation and Protective Interventions are available through COECT's partner agency, the Inspire Training Group

***
COECT, The Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma is an umbrella organisation combining resources, research and knowledge from cutting edge experts in the sector – Inspire Training Group, National Association of Therapeutic Parents, Sarah Naish – Keynote Speaker and Author, The Haven – Parenting and Wellbeing Centre and Safer Fostering.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CoEChildTrauma

Telephone – 01453 519000

Email – [email protected]

Website - www.coect.co.uk

When small children display signs of sexualised behaviour, foster and adoptive parents find it repugnant.
As NATP expert Jane Mitchell explains, they are rightly furious with those responsible for the abuse their child must have suffered in an earlier existence.
In this episode, Jane sets out an array of simple but effective strategies that help to reset a child's understanding of what is appropriate behaviour between children and adults.
But she advises learning to differentiate between what is normal childhood curiousity and what is clearly entirely improper knowledge.
If it's the latter, parents should alert their supervising social worker and the local authority without delay and find out what therapeutic intervention is available.
In the case of older children who were subject to abuse in their early years, they may well be vulnerable to some form of sexual grooming.
In all instances, the NHS, the NSPCC and Barnardo's are all good ports of call as is the website Thinkuknow ***
The Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma is an umbrella organisation combining resources, research and knowledge from cutting edge experts in the sector – Inspire Training Group, National Association of Therapeutic Parents, Sarah Naish – Keynote Speaker and Author, The Haven – Parenting and Wellbeing Centre and Safer Fostering.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CoEChildTrauma

Telephone – 01453 519000

Email – [email protected]

Website - www.coect.co.uk

Developmental Trauma Disorder is a little known phrase that is only now beginning to gain traction with health authorities.
Why is it important?
As this week's guest, Sarah Naish, explains - it is the right term to describe the behavioural characteristics displayed by children due to neglect and trauma or by those who experienced serious pre-birth problems.
All too often, their symptoms are diagnosed as post traumatic stress disorder complex. But this is not the correct diagnosis and can lead to wrong assumptions by professionals that end up with the child being misdiagnosed.
As Sarah says, "it's time we woke up and smelt the coffee and recognise developmental trauma for what it is".
As mentioned on the podcast, you can find Sarah's book "The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting" here
The Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma is an umbrella organisation combining resources, research and knowledge from cutting edge experts in the sector – Inspire Training Group, National Association of Therapeutic Parents, Sarah Naish – Keynote Speaker and Author, The Haven – Parenting and Wellbeing Centre and Safer Fostering.
Telephone – 01453 519000

Email – [email protected]

Website - www.coect.co.uk

Today's guest, Rosie Jefferies, the Managing Director of COECT, talks frankly about the fears and emotions she experienced as a small child at the start of her adoption journey.
Rosie's profound early life trauma meant she was understandably distrustful of all adults. Indeed she viewed them as dangerous to herself and to her four younger siblings.
In this podcast she gives a moving description of the fearful emotions she felt on moving in with her adoption family for the first time.
She contrasts the dark of her past with the bright light of the new family home which eventually came to represent safety and security to her.
Rosie is now a successful businesswoman, a wife and mother to a securely attached little boy. She has an immensely positive view of the world. This podcast edition will undoubtedly give hope to families struggling to cope.
The Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma is an umbrella organisation combining resources, research and knowledge from cutting edge experts in the sector – Inspire Training Group, National Association of Therapeutic Parents, Sarah Naish – Keynote Speaker and Author, The Haven – Parenting and Wellbeing Centre and Safer Fostering.

Telephone – 01453 519000

Email – [email protected]

Website - www.coect.co.uk