Therapeutic services
Trying to intervene with a child who has difficulty in making relationships with other people is never easy. Children who have a profound mistrust of adults find it very hard to develop trust in those trying to work with them.
As part of our pattern of therapeutic care and education, we have a consultant psychologist who visits regularly.
All the work of Seamab School is based on the well researched background of attachment theory, particularly the model developed by the American psychologist, Dan Hughes. Our psychologist makes considerable use of attachment therapy (dyadic developmental psychotherapy) both in direct work with individual children and, more usually, in acting as a consultant to the staff who are directly involved.
The Principal, Depute Principal and Head of Education have all completed advanced level training in attachment therapy and a number of other staff have completed the same training to the first level.
All staff take part in regular in-service training sessions on attachment issues so that the concepts pervade all the work going on in Seamab.
We also offer art and music therapy to individual pupils after assessing their suitability for this type of intervention. These sessions allow the child to use art materials or musical instruments to express strong and complex emotions in a safe and facilitating environment.
The Therapeutic Environment
We recognise that children who have not formed close attachments need empathy, concern, security and unconditional love and affection.
Our staff develop and sustain good relationships with the children and avoid reacting to their behaviour in ways which might impair these relationships.
We recognise:
- that it is unhelpful to react to hostile and provocative behaviour with resentment or anger. We understand that it might be as a result of the child's previous experiences;
- the importance of good models of adult behaviour;
- the need for a structured and predictable routine.
We try to help the children understand their feelings and manage them - and help them alter unacceptable behaviour.
Above all, we listen to children's views and emphasise the importance of play in children's lives. As a result we place a great deal of value on informal learning opportunities and creative activities undertaken out of school.
