Therapeutic support
One of the most important ways in which we help our young people gain a strong sense of psychological safety is through the provision of high-quality therapy by members of our clinical therapy team.
In addition to specific types of therapy, our team is able to offer individual and group counselling sessions, health advice and psychological education where a range of subjects are explored such as living in groups, peer and family relationships and emotional self-regulation.
Our therapy team
Our qualified therapists are supported by our team of Clinical Therapy Assistants who accompany young people to therapy sessions and then support them to achieve their therapy goals outside of each session.
The effectiveness of each young person’s therapy programme is regularly monitored at our twice weekly clinical and therapy meetings where goals and progress are reviewed.
We also retain an external Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist who conducts clinics at the school on a regular basis to provide clinical psychiatric support to those young people who need it and to ensure that any prescribed medication is reviewed regularly.
Therapy sessions
Therapy sessions occur either one-to-one or in a group setting alongside other children with similar abilities and needs. Weekly individual therapy sessions generally last for 45 minutes and are scheduled to fit in with the school timetable to ensure that key subjects and activities are not missed.
Initially, a young person will generally meet one of our therapists for six weeks after which they will have the opportunity to attend further sessions with the same or a different therapist.
Alongside the therapy sessions, regular social activities and ‘fun days’ are held at Ebley House where our Clinical Therapy Centre is based in order to give young people an opportunity to interact with our therapists on an informal basis and to engage in games and other fun activities.
Types of therapy available
We offer a variety of different forms of therapy – each child has different needs when it comes to therapeutic support, so we offer targeted interventions aimed at ensuring that all our young people can access therapy in a form that is most beneficial to them.
Speech and
language therapy
This aims to support children with their communication, language and interaction skills. Our speech therapists offer support in many areas including social skills, emotional literacy, vocabulary enrichment and self-awareness.
Occupational Therapy (OT)
OT provides practical support to children to enable them to overcome barriers to learning and to help them with daily life tasks. It can also include support with self-care, functional skills, independence and life skills, sensory needs and motor skills.
Trauma focused Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
CBT involves addressing problems in a very practical way. It aims to change any thinking or behaviour patterns a person may have which might cause or worsen a problem. This can have an impact on their feelings so that they can overcome the particular difficulty.
Counselling
Counselling is a form of “talking therapy” which gives young people the opportunity to think and talk through a problem or issue. It provides them with the chance to express their feelings and to explore options for overcoming the difficulty in question.
Psychotherapy
This helps young people find new ways to think about personal issues and difficulties by exploring how their feelings and thoughts are connected to their relationships and behaviour.
Attachment focused therapy (dyadic developmental psychotherapy)
Attachment based therapy focuses on enabling young people to establish secure attachments with their adult carers by developing or rebuilding trust. It is often used in conjunction with other forms of therapy.
Trauma Art Narrative
Therapy (TANT)™
TANT is a structured creative cognitive exposure technique used to resolve traumatic events. It used non-interpretative drawing step techniques aimed at reducing intrusive symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, body memories and other PTSD related behaviours from both simple and complex traumas.
Systemic family work
Systemic family work is offered as a way of supporting our young people’s families to discuss and work through difficulties in their relationships with each other. Sessions provide family members with an opportunity to talk to each other with the aim of helping them to understand each other better, change negative behaviours and resolve conflicts.
Our therapy dogs
Our team of four-legged friends – Dante, Stanley, Rosa, Mable, Chester and Eli – have been a fantastic addition to the therapy department. In addition to their endless enthusiasm for going on long walks on the Common, they play an important role in helping young people to overcome their barriers to accessing therapy – some young people find it easier to talk through any issues or difficulties with a member of the therapy team whilst out walking one of the dogs. They regularly accompany young people to therapy sessions to provide additional comfort and support.
The therapy provision is an excellent resource and a strength of this provision
Ofsted – 2024