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Alone (together): becoming a parent in the pandemic
No full textThis paper draws on the author’s own experience of becoming a parent during the Covid-19 pandemic as a starting point from which to explore, and consider, how the experience of new parenthood was profoundly affected by the unusual and challenging circumstances created by the pandemic. Using a psychoanalytic lens, the author considers the legacy effects of Covid-19 restrictions and the atmosphere of heightened anxiety and danger, on the families who welcomed their first child in 2020 or 2021. The paper brings into focus the simultaneous experience of increased isolation and the withdrawal of support that would ordinarily be offered to new parents, along with the increased opportunities for closeness and early bonding this might bring, and considers how these factors might interrelate. It considers the changes to fatherhood that the pandemic created, and examines the benefits as well as pitfalls of the unusual circumstances brought about by successive lockdowns in the UK. The paper also explores the role that child psychotherapy has, as a profession, to examine and understand this experience for new parents and children born in the pandemic
Suffering in Silence: A Foucauldian discourse analysis to explore the parental experiences of having a child who has sexually harmed another child in an Irish context
Get PDFThis study explores the experiences of parents who have had a child who has sexually harmed another child within an Irish context. The study involved recruiting participants through a public service based in Ireland that provides assessment and treatment to children and parents in cases where their child has sexually harmed another. The study was designed within a social constructivist and critical realist paradigm. The recruitment to the study involved advertising at the service for parents to take part in both ethnographic observations and interviews. I completed five observations and six interviews. A further part of the study included an analysis of sections of the Irish print media in seeking to understand how the phenomenon of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) is constructed through this medium. Through this analysis I reviewed six articles. The data was analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) paying particular attention to Parker’s (1992) and Willig’s (2013) phases of analysis. I first used Max Weber’s model of developing an Ideal Type in helping to manage data for further analysis using FDA. The study highlighted that the phenomenon of HSB is embedded in social processes that maintain the issue as taboo. The secrecy present at every level of the systems that interact with this phenomenon can be understood as mimesis. This includes how the services are provided, the community attitudes toward HSB, the dynamics of families, the experience of professionals working with HSB, the young persons who have harmed and their families. The parents who participated in the research described their pain and shame at having a child who has sexually harmed another child. They also described their single greatest fear at this information becoming known publicly. One of the key recommendations of the study concerns the necessity for professionals to lead the way in bringing this phenomenon into the public view in a way that promotes a fuller, and nuanced understanding
Piecing together the patchwork: How a therapeutic school can help adopted children with their sense of identity
Get PDFThis study sought to find out how staff in a therapeutic school could support adopted children with their sense of identity. It explores whether a therapeutic school can be a helpful environment for supporting identity development. Eight members of staff from one therapeutic school were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview format. A mixture of clinical and education staff were recruited to reflect the integrated nature of the school. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings demonstrated that due to adopted children’s traumatic early experiences and multiple changes of caregivers, their sense of identity is disrupted. Therefore, they require additional support in this area in order to develop their sense of self. This study has shown that a therapeutic school is a helpful environment to provide this support. The study makes a number of recommendations for clinical and educational practice. It emphasizes the importance of parent work and the bringing together of professional networks in order support adopted children with their identity development. The study also makes a number of recommendations for further research. As the study was carried out in one specific therapeutic school, further research is needed to see if the findings are applicable to other schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties or mainstream settings
Locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of mothers living alongside their child with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) special educational needs, a psychosocial approach.
Get PDFBetween March and September, 2020, the U.K. government enforced a nationwide lockdown to protect citizens against Covid-19. Children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) special educational needs and their parents stayed at home, and parents were responsible for home schooling their children with variable support from the schools they attended. Emerging global qualitative research and articles from news outlets in the U.K. reported the significant negative impact the lockdown was having on family dynamics, including rises in mental health difficulties. Orientated to psychoanalytic theories of SEMH needs, an impetus developed for exploring the impact of lockdown on the relational dynamics between mother and child. A review of literature found a gap in research exploring experiences of parents home educating primary aged children with SEMH needs as separate case studies. A psychosocial methodological approach was taken, orientated in psychosocial ontological and epistemological positions. Three mothers were recruited from a specialist primary SEMH provision where their son attended, and they were interviewed using Free Association Narrative Interviewing (Hollway and Jefferson, 2013) on two occasions. Participant experiences were analysed using thematic and psychosocial analysis. Findings suggested the mothers experienced the lockdown as emotionally straining to lesser or greater extents according to their personal circumstances and past experiences. All mothers struggled to home-school their sons, feeling anxiety for differing reasons. The relational dynamics between the mother-child dyads intensified due to being forced together with limited breaks from each other, leading to emotional challenges and several unconscious processes to be enacted, including splitting, projection, rationalisation, and humour. The research was justified as useful for educational psychologist (EP) practice as it elucidated the experiences of parents of SEMH needs, the relationship dynamic within families during lockdowns, and insight for EPs working with parents who are forced to home educate their children in the future
Continuing Bonds Enquiry: when your name is trafficked: A framework from Improved Futures
No full textClarifying an approach to consultation: The impact of a systemic consultation training for schools-based child and adolescent mental health services clinicians
No full textDespite the importance of consultation in early intervention of mental health difficulties, there has been little consideration of the specific competencies needed nor a model underpinning this intervention. Eleven schools- and children’s centre-based child and adolescent mental health services clinicians were interviewed with semi-structured interviews before and after a systemic consultation training. Four main themes emerged; participants gained: (1) a better understanding of organisational and multi-agency contexts, (2) a clear theoretical basis for practice, consistent with a destigmatising understanding of mental wellbeing, (3) clarity on the role, remit, and process of consultation, and (4) confidence and skills to carry out the role. The skills gained were in line with systems-level competencies. These findings suggest that the systemic consultation training increased the confidence of clinicians to work with complex networked systems in schools and communities. Future research can further understand the impact of this approach on other stakeholders, such as schools and families
An exploratory study of pathological processes in latency care-experienced children. Implications for assessment and treatment
No full textLooked After and Adopted Children (LAAC) who are seen in Child & Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) clinics by Child Psychotherapists can present in challenging and disturbing ways. This exploratory study examines the type of pathological processes in latency care-experienced children that are present at the early stage of contact with a Child Psychotherapist and how such processes impact on the lives of care-experienced latency children. An extensive literature review analysis identified gaps in child psychotherapy literature in relation to drawing theoretical and clinical links between the challenges of latency and the experience of care for children. The aim of this research was to explore the links between pathological processes, latency and the experience of care, from a psychoanalytic perspective and through the analysis of data using Grounded Theory. A systematic exploration of process notes obtained from a specialist assessment (State of Mind Assessment/SOMA) of four LAAC, corroborated psychoanalytic knowledge, observation and experience in this field but also generated new thinking. The analysis of the findings indicated that participating children were developmentally ‘stuck’ in unresolved conflicts of earlier developmental stages (pre-latency / early latency) facing unresolved oedipal conflicts, lack of ego strength and the impact of severe anxiety in relation to abandonment, separation and loss. For the research participants, the experience of care and early history of maltreatment, have increased the likelihood of chronic and complex use of manic defenses, sadomasochistic types of relating and excessive omnipotent control. Data analysis using Grounded Theory encouraged the development of four distinct ‘states of mind’ categories: Artificial Connection, Entropy, Antihero & Resignation. These underpin and maintain an unrealistic phantasy that dependency and love equate defeat and humiliation, whereas power and omnipotence lead to triumph and superiority. Pathological processes identified in this research point to the predominant and excessive use of omnipotence for the purposes of control and mastery over others and sadomasochistic relating as the main means of relating to others. These anti-developmental processes can become fixed and rigid solutions for LAAC. The key role of Child Psychotherapy as a necessary and valuable treatment pathway for LAAC presenting in CAMHS is highlighted. This research adds to the work of child psychotherapists by highlighting the value of paying homage to pathological processes and presentations as early as possible (assessment stage), so that treatment formulations can be tailored and more effective so that outcomes for latency LAAC could improve especially before coming into adolescence. Further research in this area could also expose links between latency, the experience of care and the development of childhood borderline features
Joanne Stubley featured in Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction. 17 May 2023, BBC1 [Starts at approximately 51:25]
No full textThis raw documentary sees Busted’s Matt Willis open up about his struggles with addiction and the pressure it puts on his family, as well as looking into what helps him and others stay clean
Building resilience in social work: A multi-level approach
No full textSocial care work is rewarding, but complex and emotionally demanding. The intrinsic pressures of the role combined with the broader context of contemporary social work presents many challenges and practitioners are vulnerable to work-related stress and burnout. This has negative implications not only for their own wellbeing, but also their ability to work effectively with service users. In this chapter, we focus on the need for a systemic, multi-level approach to building resilience in social work organizations. Firstly, we provide an overview of literature that has examined the wellbeing of social workers and the key risk factors and then highlight the potential for resilience to help them manage the emotional hazards of practice and remain healthy and effective. While resilience is typically characterised by the ability of individuals to learn and adapt to adversity, it is only sustainable when underpinned by supportive organizational policies and practices. We maintain that what is considered “resilience” is shaped by the context within which people operate—the demands they experience, the qualities they require do their job effectively, and the features of their working environment. Drawing on research conducted by ourselves and others, we set out a systemic approach that identifies the meaning of resilience in social work settings and the individual and organizational factors that underpin it. We also identify actions that can be taken at individual, team and organizational levels to foster a workplace climate that builds the capacity for resilience among social workers to support their wellbeing and optimum practice
Returning to mainstream school following an Acquired Brain Injury: Two case studies with multiple perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to a sense of school belonging
Get PDFExisting research emphasises the importance of a sense of school belonging (SoSB) for children’s social emotional mental health. Given the importance of a SoSB for typically developing children, it is likely to also contribute to the successful reintegration of children returning to school after an acquired brain injury (ABI). Yet, there is currently a paucity of research in this area. Moreover, despite a recognised need to take a systemic approach when supporting children, research that has focused on the school reintegration process following paediatric ABI has typically only elicited the views of either children, their parents or educational professionals. The current research aimed to address these gaps by using a multiple case study design to explore children’s perceptions of factors affecting their SoSB when returning to mainstream school after an ABI, and how these relate to the perceptions of key adults in the systems around them. Semi-structured interviews elicited the views of two 6-year-old children, who sustained an ABI in reception, their parent/s and key school staff. Reflexive Thematic Analysis conducted both across and within cases identified a range of themes including the importance of fitting into the school community, home-school collaboration and ongoing support beyond the reintegration period. Findings showed many of the perceived barriers and facilitators to be highly nuanced and case specific, highlighting the need for schools to take an individualised approach when fostering a SoSB for children with ABI. Findings further emphasised the need for schools to assess the demands being placed on parents during the transition process to support familial adjustment and ensure collaborative working. Implications for both policy and practice are discussed in light of these results. The researcher also proposes a ‘framework for thinking’ tool for professionals to utilise to foster a SoSB for children with ABI in mainstream schools