Published by The International Centre for Therapeutic Care
In residence includes regular columns from John Diamond of The Mulberry Bush School, as well as articles submitted as part of the bi-monthly Therapeutic Care Journal
Background This is the true story of a 16 years old girl. From her childhood she grew under the nurture and care of her parents. Her family belongs to a pastoral community, much of their time is spent in the bush grazing flocks of livestock. They belong to a Tanzanian tribe which is one of … Read more
The relational universe of a child in care can be quite curious. There is no shortage of people appearing like a multitude of distant stars in a universe and disappearing long before they’ve even become visible. But there are also others, those who are close enough to develop a gravitational pull, who become central to … Read more
Music Therapy: A Powerful, Risk-Free Way of Tackling Anxiety in Children. Hans Christian Andersen once said, “Where words fail, music speaks.” This not only rings true for avid music fans, but, studies show, also when it comes to tackling anxiety in children. As many as 1 in 6 young people are affected by an anxiety … Read more
In Chile there are approximately 9600 children and young people in residential care. Deinstitutionalisation has been an ongoing process since the 1990’s and has been successful in reducing the size of institutions and the numbers of children in care. Children are no longer accommodated due to poverty alone, and significant work has been achieved in … Read more
Black bags are for rubbish. I use black bags for storage sometimes and when I have moved house for the less accommodating or bits and pieces that are left over and I don’t know how to fit into the usual packing boxes. None of these images fit well with the symbolic attachment that is made … Read more
Introduction. As part of the ongoing discussion with the DfE on the development of Staying Close the ECLCM campaign felt that it might be helpful to try to create something that was relatively short but which captured the essence of our particular vision of what Staying Close should ‘look’ like. Additionally we thought that by … Read more
This paper was originally written in 1986. It is about the Cotswold Community once thriving therapeutic community, now deceased. John Whitwell. [I recently discovered this paper, April 2017, written as preparation for giving a talk about the Cotswold Community in 1986. I have decided that it is worth retaining my perspective from that year, which was … Read more
A Social Work case study from Tanzania of a child recovering from a mental health disorder. Introduction. It was a long way to the village where the child lives; I travelled for 2 hours and finally arrived. Geographically, because the area is above sea level, the place is very cold. I saw people wrapped up … Read more
Dear Colleagues, This newsletter reflects the further growth and influence of the International Centre as a global network sharing therapeutic practice, training and research for all those working with traumatised children and young people. In this edition we publish papers about the needs of UK care leavers, with articles from the Care Leavers Foundation (CLF) … Read more
The following article has been provided by David Graham, National Director, The Care Leavers’ Association James is 22 and has had his HE bursary withheld by his local authority. Lucy is 18 and has been told she can’t get her leaving care grant. Jim is 21 and in prison. He hasn’t had any visitors and doesn’t know where … Read more
Years ago, when I lived in Scotland I remember a senior residential worker passing on to me the insight that people like gardeners and cooks were often best placed to be alongside children and young people in situations and at times when genuine exchanges might take place. I have borne this in mind ever since, … Read more
Abstract: This article explores the concept of attachment theory as a foundational competency for caregivers. Readers are introduced to the importance of relational pedagogy as a focus in training and the trainer’s responsibility to nurture connections and curiosity in order for meaningful learning to occur. Keywords: relational pedagogy, attachment, trainer competency, child and youth care … Read more