Therapeutic care has its roots in the post-war psychoanalytic movement that sought to understand the impact trauma has on children and young people and what support needs to be put in place to give them the best chance of recovering.
The approach led to the creation of therapeutic communities in the 1960s and 70s, but today it is more associated with residential care specialists that provide a wide range of therapeutic support for some of the most vulnerable and damaged children in the country.
These specialist settings offer children the right environment to tackle the trauma and emotional problems that are often the cause of their challenging behaviour while also attending to their educational and wider developmental needs.
The demand for therapeutic care – and recognition of its benefits – has never been greater. There is a record number of children in care as a result of severe neglect and abuse, while pressures to do well at school and over their appearance are hurting young people’s mental wellbeing resulting in a rise in childhood mental health problems.
The number of young people in secure accommodation has fallen rapidly over the past decade, but those that end up in youth custody have deep behavioural and emotional problems. It has led to the NHS and youth custody staff to collaborate over developing a more therapeutic secure environment. Meanwhile, in the community, schools, mental health services and voluntary organisations are providing therapeutic care to vulnerable groups, such as young people who have witnessed street violence and adopted children.
CYP Now’s special report on therapeutic care assesses the development of therapeutic care approaches, summarises key research in the field, and highlights three examples of projects delivering innovative practice.
Click on the links below for more:
Research evidence:
- Introduction by Jonathan Stanley, principal partner, NCERCC
- Between Love and Behaviour Management: the Psychodynamic Reflective Milieu at the Mulberry Bush School
- Child, Caregiver, and Therapist Perspectives on Therapeutic Alliance in Usual Care Child Psychotherapy
Practice examples:
