SUSSEX COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY NEWS AUTUMN 2016 www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
TRAUMA INFORMED: WHAT IT MEANS FOR COUNSELLING
DREAM CATCHER: WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
WRITING AS THERAPY: FINDING THE WORDS
NEWS !AND VIEWS, SEMINARS, BOARDING SCHOOL SURVIVORS, AGM NEWS, ART IN MIND, AVATAR THERAPY, FGM CONFERENCE
NEW CONSULTING ROOMS IN BRIGHTON
Newly refurbished consulting rooms in the Fiveways area of Brighton available to rent now. We have three analytic rooms with a couch and three counselling/psychotherapy rooms, all of which are beautifully renovated and furnished to a high standard. Each room is fully self-contained with its own number lock and all adjoining rooms have been fully soundproofed from each other Metered parking is readily available and we are right next to a bus stop Rooms cost £7.50 per hour For further information please contact Anne Guildford on 07570 890089 or Jeremy Vintcent on 07747 442233 Autumn 2016 Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP) News is the quarterly magazine for counsellors and psychotherapists working in and around Sussex who are registered members of SCAP. Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy News is the official journal of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Views expressed in the journal and signed by a writer are the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Publication in this journal does not imply endorsement of the writer’s views. Similarly publication of adverts does not constitute endorsement by Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Contributions are welcome with a £20 book voucher for original material. Please email items for news, diary, feature or review to newsletter@sussex-counselling.co.uk Deadline: Friday 21 October for Winter 2016 issue. Advertise in SCAP Newsletter Full page colour £80, B&W £78. Half page colour £55, B&W, £48. Quarter page – £36. Contact: advertising@sussex-counselling.co.uk or visit www.sussex-counselling.co.uk to book online.
INSIDE 4 SCAP celebrates 40 years of counselling support in Sussex 5 Scripts, dreams, babies, reality and NLP SCAP Seminars and workshops 7 Art in Mind Charles Baines on playful therapy 8 Writing as therapy Eileen Palmer on therapeutic writing groups 10 SCAP AGM All the news from our AGM and workshop 11 A letter from the chair Andrew Faulconbridge on the future for SCAP 12 Trauma informed counselling Grant Bardsley on how trauma affects the way organisations work 14 Boarding School survivors Gordon Knott interviews Thurstine Bassett 16 Reviews 20 Diary
WELCOME... It’s hard to believe but Sussex Counselling is now 40 years old and in the best traditions we feasted on cake to celebrate during the annual AGM held in June. There was much else on the agenda, including electing a new committee. We are delighted that Andrew Faulconbridge is staying on as chair and you can find out what his thoughts are about the last year and the challenges we face in the future on page 11. Thanks also to those who have worked so hard on the committee in the last year. Their work is often behind the scenes and we applaud these quiet heroes. In this issue we hear about therapies as varied as the sex therapy workshop held during the AGM, and play therapy held at the SCAP Art in Mind seminar. Eileen Palmer has written a feature about the work she and others do on writing as therapy. As an editor writing is something I take for granted so it was a real insight to learn how writing can be used to allow us to heal. Grant Bardsley has written a fascinating account of the trauma informed training he is undergoing and how it can change organsations and the work they do with young people. Thurstine Bassett is also concerned with healing. The local mental health expert has co-written a book about working with ex boarders, some of the hardest clients therapists may have to deal with - see page 14. With news, views, reviews and diary items too we hope you will find lots to inform you in this issue.
Astrid Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP)
Contact Us Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy Group PO Box 308, Brighton BN2 0WA Editor: Astrid Stubbs: newsletter@sussex-counselling.co.uk Advertising : advertising@sussex-counselling.co.uk Membership: membership@sussex-counselling.co.uk Chair: chair@sussex-counselling.co.uk General Enquiries: info@sussex-counselling.co.uk New Counsellors: newcounsellors@sussex-counselling.co.uk Paper Directory: paperdirectory@sussex-counselling.co.uk Secretary: secretary@sussex-counselling.co.uk Finance: finance@sussex-counselling.co.uk Website: website@sussex-counselling.co.uk Web: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk Twitter: @SussexCAP Facebook: www.facebook.com/SussexCounsellingAndPsychotherapy Printed in the UK www.dpsltd.net
4 Sussex Counselling celebrates 40 years SCAP’s Annual General Meeting in June was a chance to celebrate 40 years of support for local therapists in Sussex. As well as a full programme of debate, a new committee was elected to steer the group through the next 12 months. Officers are:Andrew Faulconbridge – Chair, Pat Smale – Vice Chair and Magazine Liaison, Jan Irwin – Secretary, Jo Moore – Information Line and Treasurer, Claire Baker – Website liaison, Cathy Warren - Placements & Organisation Liaison, Katherine Travis – News and Information, Jeanie Civil - Seminars and CPD. Eileen Palmer also remains as a committee member. See more about the AGM event on page 10.
Release Counselling @Releaseforwomen Thrilled to have received a grant of £9,800 from the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund to support our work with new mums!
We’ll drink to that.. Community Coffee is the brain child of a Hurstpierpoint resident Ian Jury, whose venture is the latest in a chain which helps young people into work, After working in the youth care sector in Brighton, Ian created his own plan for a social enterprise cafe and was responsible for launching Community Diner at a youth hub in Islington. Community Coffee, which is in the High Street, Hurstpierpoint, has many of the same principles, most notably providing a place for young people who may have had trouble with school or previous employment to find a way back to work. “We focus on ability, not disability as we take those who may have dyslexia, be on the autistic spectrum or just have not felt comfortable in an academic environment. We pull them out of that rut!” says Ian. “Above all we want to be welcoming to all. From family friendly fun to OAP afternoons, water bowls and treats for dogs to mother/baby mornings - we want to create a great vibe here in our modern, urban environment.”
FGM workshop A workshop to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and how practitioners can work to protect children and support families has been organised by Brighton & Hove Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), and the Safe in the City Partnership. The workshop takes place on November 23 at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton. Hibo Wardere will speak about her own experiences, which she has written about in her book CUT, and the work she does to raise awareness of FGM and the impact on survivors of this abuse. The workshop will be a mixture of presentations and interactive elements, with participants able to engage in questions and answers with the presenters. To book a place use the Brighton & Hove Learning Gateway https://learning.brighton-ho ve.gov.uk/cpd/portal.asp Training is free for Children’s Services staff, school staff, foster carers, CVS groups, BHCC contracted organisations in Children’s Services, statutory health organisations, police and probation and all early years (including private early years) who are working in Brighton & Hove. Private organisations and those working outside the city – £120.
SCAP NEWS
Seminar programme features a range of specialisms Scripts, dreams, babies, reality therapy and NLP on SCAP agenda Whatever your specialism, theoretical knowledge of counselling or psychotherapy, you’d probably agree that our childhoods have influenced our lives. These ‘scripts' do not have to stay with us forever, we can change them. Transactional Analysis offers you a third ear and SCAP’s introductory seminar on September 10 in Brighton will cover the basics. You will be able to hear the music behind the words and recognise what games are being played. On 15 October a seminar on dreams, considered the ‘royal road to the unconscious’ will invite participants to work on one of their own dreams and move on to look at how we use dreams to enhance the therapeutic process. Brenda Mallon will introduce you to a variety of techniques that will build both your understanding of the power of dreams and increase your confidence. Brenda is the author of 17 books, including The Dream Bible, translated into 12 languages and Dreams, Counselling and Healing. She presented In Your Dreams (Channel 4), where she interviewed a number of celebrities, including Toyah
Wilcox, Robin Gibbs and James Hewitt, who revealed how dreams influenced their lives and creativity. On November 12, psychotherapist Sally McLaren will run her seminar on Birds, Bees and Babies - what babies have to teach us. Sally, a psychotherapist Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling from Sussex University, is training with WPF Therapy in London in order to qualify as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. She has a particular interest in the work and ideas of Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung. On November 17 SCAP holds a one day workshop on Choice Theory and Reality Therapy. This workshop offers an overview of William Glasser’s Internal Control Psychology Choice Theory. The introductory workshop also gives an overview of Reality Therapy - the application used to help effect change. It aims to give an overview of: * What motivates people throughout their lives. * How to help people find solutions to presenting problems - as well as identifying and moving
beyond the underlying causes. * How to help people evaluate their own behaviours, and direction they are moving in, see more possibilities for change, and make more effective choices in their lives. All participants will receive a complimentary DVD. The first SCAP seminar of the new year takes place on January 14, 2017 with a focus on NLP. NLP is a set of beliefs, attitudes, and skills that enable people to achieve more than they could previously conceive. It uses specific applications based on language and communication to promote wellbeing. During this SCAP introductory session Kate Benson aims to share an understanding of the basic principles of NLP, create positive states to make better decisions and explore a model for getting to the core of an issue quickly. Participants will also learn the basics of a language model for changing unhelpful beliefs with clients as well as have fun learning new ways of thinking and reducing their own stress levels.
Book your place on these seminars at www.sussex-counselling.co.uk.
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Recovery centre celebrates 50 years Tracing the roots of mental health services Preston Park Recovery Centre celebrated its golden anniversary in June. The centre provides a welcoming and supportive environment in which people with mental health support needs can learn new skills and get involved in a variety of groups and activities. It also provides access to a specialist employment service, a welfare benefits service and can refer onto other services as appropriate, such as housing and health. Lynne Thomas, Contract Manager for Brighton and Hove Mental Health Recovery Services, says that over the years there have been many developments in the treatment of mental health. “Many of our staff and clients still have memories of St Francis, the local psychiatric institution,
and treatments such as insulin induced comas, the regular use of ECT and medication with severe side effects,” she says. “The 1960’s saw the first plans to close the large psychiatric hospitals and to have smaller community based services. Day centres such as Preston Park opened to support people moving from these hospitals into the community. During these years we’ve welcomed the rise of the consumer voice with the emergence of the civil rights and psychiatric survivor’s movements. Whilst concepts of recovery and peer support can be traced back to the 1800’s they are now well established as good practice in mental health and embedded in models such as the Recovery Centre,” she said.
Join the SCAP community on social media Why not join the increasing number of members who are enjoying the vibrancy and immediacy of SCAP social media? Using Twitter and Facebook is a quick and easy way to keep in touch, share your news, give your opinion, educate others, and really connect to our SCAP community. Find our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SussexCounsellingAndPsychotherapy There are lots of interesting posts which you’re welcome to comment on and you can post some of your own therapy-related information too if you wish. For Twitter, find us at SussexCounselling@SussexCAP. You’ll see all sorts of posts from people and groups commenting on counselling and psychotherapy-related subjects. You too can join in, create your own Twitter name and post some of your ideas or share those of others.
Hands-free phones still cause problems Driving while talking on a hands-free phone can be as distracting as talking on a hand-held mobile, psychologists at the University of Sussex say. The study, published in the Transportation Research Journal, found that drivers having conversations which sparked their visual imagination detected fewer road hazards than those who didn’t. They also focused on a smaller area of the road ahead of them and failed to see hazards, even when they looked directly at them. This shows the risks of even hands-free phone conversations. The researchers found that conversations may use more of the brain’s visual processing resources than previously understood. Having a conversation which requires the driver to use their visual imagination creates competition for the brain’s processing capacity, which results in drivers missing road hazards that they might otherwise have spotted. Full details at: www.sciencedirect.com/sc ience/article/pii/S1369847 816000085
NEWS & VIEWS
SCAP Art in Mind seminar Charles Baines on therapy through art Charles Baines was at the SCAP Art in Mind Seminar, in June delivered by Sam Taylor at Brighton Junction. The event was an experiential look at the ways art therapy can be used. “It was both interesting and educational, allowing the participants to produce pictures which they could then explore and interpret,” explains Charles. “Various drawing implements were available. The first activity was to draw an ‘ugly’ drawing, which was like a warm-up exercise, allowing us to draw a picture without worrying if it was good, as the objective was to draw freely without concern. “We then did a drawing about how we felt in the here and now. I found that challenging to put my thoughts on paper but rewarding. We were asked to explore our picture with a person on the seminar and say what the drawing represented. It was up to us to interpret our own drawing, while our partner could question us rather than give their own interpretations. This produced some profound and powerful thoughts from the participants. “For me, it threw up some surprising things, which I may not have discovered without the drawing process.”
Sam then took participants on a guided visualisation along a sandy beach, asking them to imagine finding an object on the beach before drawing the object and then sharing thoughts and meanings about the object. “Sam uses these methods with young people, who often have problems expressing their thoughts and fears, and drawing images is a way of expressing them visually and then orally,” says Charles. “We then listened to some music, closed our eyes and drew an image following the music. I found this exercise less successful as it produced lots of random squiggles, but Sam assured us can produce very powerful results. Our final exercise was to draw a happy childhood memory and then to ask our partner some specific questions about the picture, for example: ‘Is there a message you want to give that child?’ Again, a very simple idea but it also produced some deep thoughts and messages for the participants.” Charles Baines is a counsellor in private practice and teaches counselling skills for adults at Varndean College in Brighton
Avatar therapy Melanie Baker is a final year PsychD student in Counselling Psychology at Roehampton, whose focus has been on avatar therapy. She was inspired by Kate Anthony www.kateanthony.net/abo ut-katecontact/ while researching articles on online games addiction. “The concept fired my imagination and instantly made me curious to know more. How does it work? How do the clients experience it? How do the therapists experience it? Why do clients choose avatar therapy?” she says, “I started to think about the newer generations and thinking that as technology progresses, it seems that people are becoming more comfortable online. It can easily become the case that some people are more comfortable online than offline.” Melanie says software now allow a therapist and client to sit together and work in a virtual world. “I am fascinated by the different dimensions and the possibilities,” she adds. You can find out more about Melanie’s work at http://onlinetherapyinstitu te.com/2016/05/02/call-rese arch-participants-avatar-t herapy/
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Finding the words to say it Eileen Palmer on therapeutic writing groups Therapeutic writing groups can be powerful and cathartic. Art and integrative arts are magnificent non verbal activities, encouraging the exploration of emotions and memories, patterns and themes. The expressions of ourselves through these mediums can reveal intense feelings we can then explore in a safe environment. Several years ago I ran my first weekly therapeutic writing group at Preston Park Day Centre for people with serious mental health issues. I welcomed everyone and explained the group’s intention and focus. The two hour sessions were planned to ensure the participants felt safe to write their feelings in a supportive and caring setting, with firm boundaries and assurance they didn’t need to read out anything they didn’t want to. From that initiation I began running therapeutic writing groups as part of my practice. Held in the evenings each session lasts two hours. Participants read out something they’ve written at home between meetings and others support and make positive comments. Only positive comments. Exercises encourage each person to write something meaningful relating to themselves.
For example, using images cut from magazines, a piece of music, a short video, flowers, jewellery, there are countless tools to loosen the literary flow. Some of the results are tremendously powerful, heartfelt and tender. The first group agreed to publish a book of their writings, which we did, to much praise and pride. One of the most satisfying parts of running these therapeutic writing groups is the way each participant becomes stronger, faces demons, lets go, moves to a new resolve and happier way of living. I’d encourage those of you who’re thinking of running such a group to definitely do it. The rewards for all involved are worth it.
I offer a Write for Life group, where participants begin the process of writing a book about their life. This is particularly useful for people who want to write such a book but have had difficult times, or have avoided upsetting memories. Write for Life resumes in September. To find out more contact Eileen on 07733258745 or email at eileen.palmer@ntlworld.co m The Word Therapy Centre in Brighton offers inspiring spaces for writing, reading and talking together for health and wellbeing, say its founders Christine Hollywood and Diane Medhurst. The centre grew from their shared love of and mutual belief in the therapeutic benefits of reading, writing and talking together and offers packages which combine creative writing
WRITING AS THERAPY
projects and counselling for organisations and individuals. These include group and one-to-one work. The centre also runs CPD courses, which introduce counsellors and other professionals to the therapeutic benefits of writing for health and wellbeing, for use with their clients and for their own personal and professional development. Christine is a Writing for Wellbeing practitioner with a range of experience of project management and group-work. She works with groups across all ages and cultural backgrounds and is the creative writing lead on the Hidden Stories, Heritage Lottery-Funded project for Arts and Crafts Hammersmith. She developed the writing for wellbeing Write 2Be Me project for schools which encourages students to write together and share their stories. Christine was also chair of Lapidus, the writing for wellbeing organisation, from 2013 - 2015 and has an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development, PGCE and a counselling skills qualification. Diane is a humanistic integrative counsellor having gained her Diploma in Counselling from Wealden College of Psychology and a registered Member of BACP. She has a degree in English Literature, which includes a creative writing element.
Workshops look at exploring resilience and writing for therapy Word Therapy Centre offers two Autumn events of value to counsellors and their clients. Exploring Resilience with Ted Bowman - using literary resources, writing and stories: for working creatively or therapeutically with groups, individuals and the self takes place on 24 September 2016, at the Adult Education Centre, Brighton Junction. In this experiential session, participants will explore metaphors of resilience with the intention of promoting resiliency for themselves and others. Through writing experiences, sharing and discussion, participants will extend their resources for doing therapeutic work. Stories evoke stories. We story and re-story all our lives. Ted Bowman will use story-gathering questions, writing prompts, vignettes from memoir, poetry and fiction to promote the caring exchange when working one-to-one or facilitating groups.Sharing your writing i s optional and all will be received supportivelyTed Bowman is a well known family and grief educator from the States. He uses stories and literary resources in his workshops, teaching and writing. On 29 October the centre has organised a further event in Brighton - Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, offering a space to experience creative and expressive writing through carefully structured exercises and inspirations. Participants are invited to explore the process and potential of writing for professional and personal development and using writing as a powerful resource with clients. http://thewordtherapycentre.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog -page.html livepage.apple.com
Diane has experience counselling within the voluntary sector in Brighton and Hove, including Age UK and Possability People (formerly The Fed) and
working on a national helpline for female survivors of sexual abuse. She works for Cruse Bereavement Care.
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Festival participation plans at future AGM Eileen Palmer reports on the 40th SCAP annual meeting Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy plans to hold a major event during next year’s Brighton Festival in May. The decision was made at SCAP’s 40th Annual General Meeting held in Brighton in June. Further details will be announced once the event, speaker and venue have been finalised. The AGM saw therapists travelling quite a distance to Brighton to attend. As well as the speaker for May 2017, a number of other relevant issues were discussed, including SCAP’s newly-qualified counsellors’ group and how to build on our success and gain new members for the organisation. Some committee members stepped down and new ones were elected, ensuring the ongoing smooth running of SCAP. Justifiable and mighty praise was voiced to all those on the committee who’d been part of setting up the new website with all its working functions and improved accessibility. This was unanimously agreed as being the biggest achievement of those committee members this year, substantial proof of reaping the rewards of enormous hard work. On reaching the end of the last item on the agenda we
were treated to delicious lemon cake, courtesy of Eva Hewitt as a celebration of 40 years since the inception of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. * Genevieve Picquart presented the meeting with a seminar on Sex Therapy and when to refer to a sex therapist. Genevieve arrived, ready to awaken our curiosity and remove some of the mystique behind what sex therapy entails. A bright and engaging approach endeared her to us, creating a ‘lightness’ in the room, very welcome after the first hour of decision-making and agendas. She began by asking us what we thought sex therapy was. A number of us piped up with interesting or clever replies which she accepted then simplified with the statement: “Sex therapy deals with sexual malfunction.” Through a question and answer method Genevieve teased from us what we already knew about sex therapy and what we’d like to find out. We learnt about forms of sexual malfunction, its names and some treatment approaches. From this followed what an eavesdropper might think was a room full of very blue language as we were asked to
think of slang names for areas of our bodies. In fact we were marking how embarrassed those names made us feel. Through this experiential exercise we appreciated that if we felt above five out of ten in terms of being embarrassed in therapy sessions, we should refer a client to a fully qualified sex therapist. We felt we’d been given a brief but fascinating insight into the bare bones of a complex therapeutic field. As Genevieve ended her talk she joked: “It’s really a quickie isn’t it, today?” to which we happily sniggered and chuckled. Genevieve runs Therapeutic Tango sessions in her bespoke dance studio built at the top of her house, a beautiful space to appreciate the beauty and passion of Argentinian tango. The approach and use of Tango for physical and psychological health can create deeper connections between couples, strengthening relationships and cementing trust. Yet another approach to sex therapy. Eileen Palmer is a psychologist, psychotherapist and taught counselling courses in FE as well as providing counselling training with various organisations in Sussex.
SCAP AGM w Faulconbridge Message from SCAP Chair, Andre A year ago we ran a survey to ask A year has passed since I was , our members, what you valued you elected Chair of Sussex about SCAP, what else you may Counselling, a year in which I, wish to add to the organisation, along with a hardworking how we can improve on what we’ve committee, formed a future vision already got. We listened and did for SCAP. what you asked. A future taking into account you, The year ahead beckons: we’re in s, our members’ expectation ready and willing to fulfil the roles addition to keeping abreast of you’ve elected us to. developments in the counselling What we hope is for SCAP to go and psychotherapy fields. from strength to strength, to deliver Our Annual General Meeting in to our members what you want, to June offered me the opportunity to exceed your expectations. highlight the tremendous work of For that to happen I ask you to get our committee members over the involved. Send us your ideas, last year. promote us to others, attend our For twelve months, behind the seminars, invite discussions; scenes exciting changes took place, whatever ways you can be an active a hive of administrative industry part of SCAP, you’re very produced a solid, comprehensive welcome. foundation from which SCAP can We’re looking to expand our operate. membership this coming year, to Of primary importance is the provide bigger events and more development of a new website, full social gatherings. of resources for us all, offering I see SCAP as having a information, trainings, latest d-brush remit in which broa research, adverts, a list of our flexibility, innovation, development members, and much more. and discussion all have a place, just We’ve launched a newsletter, as you all have a place. available online or in hard copy, I’m interested to hear your ideas, and have a dedicated committee your views; and I welcome your member, Katherine Travis, who’ll involvement. Here’s to the year post your news items, or any other ahead! counselling related topics you may wish to send in. The newsletter What’s on in Sussex is a place you can advertise yourselves, tell us what you’re doing, let non-members know about it, encourage them to join.
Andrew
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How a trauma informed organisation works Grant Bardsley on a different approach to helping young people ‘Not sick or bad but injured’ – the challenge of becoming trauma-informed. A recent report by mental health charity Young Minds1 suggests that young people with histories of abuse and neglect are often meeting responses from services who should be supporting them that result instead in their stigmatisation or criminalisation and an exacerbation of their presenting problems, effectively ‘retraumatising’ them. These young people have experienced ongoing or ‘complex’ trauma, where they have been exposed to sexual or domestic violence, substance misuse, neglect and physical or emotional abuse over significant periods of time, though they may not fulfill the criteria for a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Chief executive Sarah Brennan emphasises the urgent need for services to be ‘trauma informed’ to avoid the possibility of retraumatisation of these
young people, and to meet their complex needs. The YMCA DownsLink Group has been in the process of becoming a trauma informed organisation since 2014 and recently I have been involved in developing our trauma informed training programme. At the heart of a trauma informed approach is the understanding that the risky, challenging or withdrawn behaviours we can encounter in our young clients often represent coping strategies that have allowed them to survive intolerable circumstances, and that in response to these behaviours, rather than asking the question ‘what's wrong with you?’, we should be asking ‘what's happened to you?’ The word trauma comes from the Greek, meaning, literally, wound, and a Google search for its definition yields the following : 1. a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. 2. physical injury. As psychotherapists, we’re all familiar with the first definition as a metaphor derived from the second, and each of our orientations has
its own conception of this metaphorical wounding. A growing body of research over the last twenty years, however, is challenging the view that separates emotional and psychological trauma from physical trauma. Neuroscience is telling us that traumatic experience not only wounds the psyche, it can, literally, wound the brain as well.2 The development of our brains is experiencedependent. The neural pathways that underlie our attachment behaviours are laid down in the first eighteen months of life and become the unconscious template for our sense of self and our ways of relating for the rest of our life. 3 The way we are treated by our primary carers sculpts these pathways; if those carers are loving, attuned and responsive we develop a secure sense of self and trust in the world and others. If our carers are absent, inconsistent, impaired, anxious or threatening, however, our attachment to our carers is insecure and world and others become a source of fear.
At the heart of a trauma informed approach is the understanding that the risky, challenging or withdrawn behaviours we can encounter in our young clients often represent coping strategies that have allowed them to survive intolerable circumstances
TRAUMA INFORMED
Further ongoing traumatic experience in childhood can divert resources required for healthy brain development into survival-based responses to threat. The emergency response of the limbic system that typically hijacks higher cortical function becomes the norm. Neural pathways prioritising defensive fight, flight or freeze behaviours become entrenched and young people become hyperaroused, hyper-vigilant or dissociated. They are unable to regulate their emotions and development of the prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher executive function, and the hippocampus, which mediates memory and behavioural responses, is impaired. The challenging, obstructive, self-destructive and risky behaviours often displayed by these complexly traumatised young people are not functions of choice, rather they are determined by the trauma they have endured and the concomitant impact of that trauma on the architecture of their brains. The good news is that the neuro-plasticity that allows the inscription of the bitter experience of prolonged trauma into the delicate structures of the brain also allows newer, better experience to re-shape those structures; neural networks
can be re-wired and new pathways forged through offering young people the right kind of remedial, reparative relationships. There is a plethora of emerging therapeutic approaches that aim to do just this.4 The challenge facing organisations wanting to become trauma informed lies in developing a culture and practice that views young people and their behaviour in the context of this contemporary, neuroscientifically evidenced understanding of trauma and that therefore responds to them from a position that prioritises informed empathy, compassion, and respect. Crucially, this entails resisting the fundamental attribution error that sees the challenging and seemingly maladaptive behaviours of complexly traumatised young people as due to internal pathological factors. It’s all too easy to blame traumatised young people themselves for the troubling ways they behave but as Sandra Bloom notes, we should see such young people as ‘not sick or bad, but injured’.5 Grant Bardsley is a counsellor, trainer and facilitator
1 Beyond Adversity: Addressing the mental health needs of young people who face complexity and adversity in their lives. (2016) Young Minds 2 PERRY, BD & POLLARD, D. (1997) Altered brain development following global neglect in early childhood. Society For Neuroscience: Proceedings from Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 3 GRAHAM, L. (2016) The Neuroscience of Attachment. http://lindagraham-mft.net/ resources/published-articles/ the-neuroscience-ofattachment/ 4 SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA) (2014b) TraumaInformed Care in Behavioural Health Services. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57 Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a TraumaInformed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD 5, Bloom, S. L. and Farragher, B. (2010) Destroying Sanctuary: The Crisis in Human Service Delivery Systems. New York: Oxford University Press.
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The trauma of a ‘privileged’ childhood Gordon Knott talks to Thurstine Basset, Sussex mental health expert and co-author of a new book on the boarding school experience
Q Tell us something about your background and what is it that qualifies you to write this book?
A I was sent to a boarding school aged eight and got to write a book based on the experience when aged 68 – so I suppose you could say that I had plenty of time to reflect on the experience before putting pen to paper! My main qualification is having had the experience, a ‘lived experience’. Early in the 21st Century, I plucked up the courage to attend a Boarding School Survivors workshop and this led to a five year directorship of Boarding Concern, an organisation that supports survivors. When writing the book I also drew on my experience of working with mental health system survivors. Hence my poem in the book: ‘Twenty years of survivor stories before I learned to tell my own let flow my tears like a running river how I wish I’d stayed at home.’ My co-author is Nick Duffell, who is a survivor too but is also the psychotherapist who set up Boarding School Survivors and has spent over 25 years shining a light onto a topic that psychology professionals have, in the
past, tended to shy away from. Q Why have you called the book Trauma, Abandonment & Privilege, what’s the connection? A Put simply, the experience of being sent to a boarding school, particularly at a very young age, is traumatising and there is a feeling of being abandoned. But it is seen as a privilege, so a young child feels unable to complain. This privilege can also mean that there is little public sympathy for these children. The experience is not a
even smaller percentage of those are boarders why is there a need for a book like this? A The percentage may be small but the numbers of clients seeking help from therapists is large and it has been growing in recent years. Also these issues have an impact on partners/spouses who may not have been boarders. As for the effects on the wider society, you only need to look at the recent referendum and subsequent Brexit to get a flavour of the influence. The battle to
The experience of being sent to a boarding school, particularly at a very young age, is traumatising and there is a feeling of being abandoned. But it is seen as a privilege, so a young child feels unable to complain one-off traumatic event but an ongoing trauma which somehow has to be lived through and coped with on a day-to-day basis. Broken attachment is clearly a part of this scenario, and the practice of sending a young child away from their family to reside in an institution for 9 out of 12 months is not supported by any theory of child development and psychological wellbeing. Q Considering only 7% of the school population are privately educated and an
remain in the EU was lost on the playing fields of Eton! Q The model you propose therapists use with clients is a familiar one – Recognition, Acceptance & Change. What is your evidence that this model is effective with ex-boarding school clients?
A Our evidence is mostly from the practice of both individual and group psychotherapy over almost 30 years. There are encouraging
BOARDING SCHOOL SURVIVORS
signs now of wider research as the topic is considered more worthy of study. Joy Schaverien and her ‘Boarding School Syndrome’ has been an enormous help in moving things forward. In explaining the theoretical base that underpins RAC, we do present a toolkit of various approaches and as such I would describe the overall approach as one that is holistic but tailored to each client. Q You make a lot of reference in the book to Boarding School Strategic Survival Personality. Can you explain what this term means? A This is a term that Nick Duffell first came upon when working with a client who was very strategic in his day-to-day life. In essence, a traumatised child realises that they must do something to survive and hence a survival personality is constructed. This survival personality can be very helpful as a child but is not fit-for-purpose as an emotionally healthy adult because it is built on burying and hiding emotions and adopting a stiff upper lip. Q Now the Cameron/ Osborne dynasty is over are you hopeful that an administration led by predominately state-educated politicians
will end the charitable status still enjoyed by independent schools? A Well, a Labour government, in power from 1997-2010, didn’t manage to do anything about this, despite a lot of talking, so I hardly think the Tories will even discuss the issue. Q What impact do you hope this book will have for clients and practitioners?
A We sincerely hope it will help both clients and counsellors/therapists in their work together. We have tried to show that ex-boarders are not only just straight white men and have highlighted issues such as homophobia and misogyny plus the impact that a paternalistic regime can have on girls who are boarding. We also touch on the issue of boarding for black students. We are pleased that a school counsellor allowed us to use their experience in the book as their input raises important ethical issues for therapists. I think the book offers hope. Hope that things will change and that we may contribute in a small way to ending an outdated British educational practice. Gordon Knott is a counsellor and Team Manager with the YMCA Dialogue in Sussex/Surrey.
Resources Nick Duffell and Thurstine Basset Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege is published by Routledge. Thurstine Bassett facilitates a workshop at YMCA Bridge Street, Guildford on Saturday November 5. Info from imelda.turnock@ymc adlg.org Other resources: The Making of Them: The British Attitude to Children and the Boarding School System Nick Duffell Wounded Leaders British Elitism & The Entitlement Illusion Nick Duffell Boarding School Syndrome – The psychological trauma of the ‘privileged’ child’ Joy Schaverien www.boardingschoo lsurvivors.co.uk www.boardingconce rn.org.uk
16 Therapies from cradle to grave
Youth counselling
Counseling Across The Lifespan Prevention and Treatment – Editors: Cindy L Juntunen and Jonathan P Schwartz
Counselling Adolescents: The Proactive Approach for Young People Kathryn Geldard, David Geldard and Rebecca Yin Foo
The second edition of Counseling Across the Lifespan attempts to address recent US changes in prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. Fifty six counselling psychology academics have provided 24 chapters spanning five stages of human life from childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, midlife adulthood through to older adulthood. The book’s stated aim is to educate relevant graduate students, and ‘upper level undergraduates, in prevention and interventions theory and techniques’. Many of the changes in mental health prevention and treatment discussed are particular to the US. That aside, there is a wealth of knowledge crammed into the pages of this second edition, its readability is refreshing, its academic dialogue and research evaluation praiseworthy. Make no mistake, this book reads like a textbook, every statement supported with references to papers or research published in reputable psychological,
psychiatric, or medical journals. New ideas are knitted together through careful analysis of what has been published before and offered up for consideration in the light of changing demographics, social policy and emerging research in current times. At the end of each chapter are discussion questions, focussing on case examples which uses the subject matter of that chapter. For example, following a chapter Facilitating Transitions Through Retirement you are asked ‘Who do you envision when asked to think about a 77-year-old woman or a 90-year-old man? How might you be a risk of ageism in your work with these older adults?’ By dividing human lifespan into five distinct stages the book runs the risk of ignoring the universality of emotions, of life’s challenges encountered regardless of age. However, the book’s strength is in its factual, research-based knowledge. Wisdom, philosophy and existential angsts have little place in this tome. Such fascinating topics can instead be left for our literary psychoanalysts to write about. EP Eileen Palmer is a psychologist and psychotherapist
Easy to read, and informative on the proactive approach to counselling young people, this reads more like a text book, and therefore, the reader can pick and choose what part of the book might be more useful at different times. For example, some readers might want to focus on the developmental phases of adolescence and how to deal with the development of mental health problems and the situations that might bring them pass, as described in section one. Others might prefer to focus on the proactive approach and how it works; whilst yet others might want to delve into the third section which explains counselling strategies used and adapted to counsel young people. The last section talks about professional, ethical issues, and, most importantly, presents case studies that help the reader understand how to use the proactive approach described. KB Karin Brauner is a bilingual counsellor in private practice in Brighton
REVIEWS Putting flesh on the bones of pluralistic theory The Handbook of Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy Editors Mick Cooper and Windy Dryden Since Mick Cooper and John McLeod first started to formulate its principles in 2006, pluralistic therapy has come a long way, as evidenced by the publication of this comprehensive and wide-ranging guide to all facets of the approach. Featuring contributions spanning a range of key contemporary orientations from more than 30 practitioners, it includes such luminaries as Barry Duncan, Windy Dryden, Andrew Reeves, Lynn Gabriel, Laurence Spurling and many others from across the globe. Putting ample and well-developed flesh onto the bones of pluralistic theory and practice laid out in the introductory text Pluralistic Counselling And Psychotherapy (Cooper & McLeod 2011), editors Cooper and Dryden begin by setting out the three ‘pillars’ of this approach; Pluralism across orientations, which entails practitioners being open to a variety of ways of characterising distress in clients and approaches to helping them, crucially undercutting the ‘schoolism’ that has been endemic in the
field of counselling and psychotherapy; Pluralism across clients equating to a recognition and celebration of client diversity and necessitating the offer of a bespoke approach to each and every client rather than settling for ‘off the peg’ solutions, and Pluralism across perspectives that values the contributions of both therapist and client in the therapeutic endeavour, making decisions concerning goals and tasks and methods in therapy both properly collaborative and consistently informed by feedback from both participants. The elaboration of these pillars in the Fundamentals of pluralistic practice follows, with assessment and formulation, structuring goals, task and methods, metatherapeutic communication, systematic feedback, core pluralistic counselling methods and client strengths and resources all considered. They then go on to elaborate these principles further in two key ways: firstly by discussing the commonalities and differences between the pluralistic perspective and those of the major theoretical orientations, and the understandings and methods that each of these approaches can contribute to pluralistic theory and practice, and, secondly, by considering a pluralistic approach to many
of the major issues and goals that clients bring in therapy. Thus we have expositions on the confluence and divergence of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, existential, narrative and integrative/eclectic thinking with the pluralistic perspective, followed by worked examples of these approaches productively fitting into a pluralistic framework for working with depression, anxiety, relationships, grief and loss, eating problems, addiction, health issues and suicide and self-injury. In structuring the book in this way, Cooper and Dryden manage to construct a powerful argument for the pluralistic approach and at the same time, offer a practical and extensive resource for guiding pluralistic practice. With an additional section covering professional issues, this is a clear, exhaustive, and accessible account of pluralistic therapy that will benefit both those who are new to this approach and those already practising pluralistically, as well as being a clarion call to those therapists seeking a more democratic, inclusive, pragmatic and client-focused way of working. GB Grant Bardsley is a counsellor, trainer and facilitator
Brighton Person Centred Community Workshop Programme 2016 Affective Neuroscience and Attachment Theory – with Dagmar Edwards Venue: Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton Time: Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 October – 10.30am – 4pm Cost: £130/£90 concession This two-day workshop offers participants the opportunity to engage with recent research from affective neuroscience and studies of infant development. The workshop will include input on relevant ideas while also being interactive and experiential. Dagmar Edwards - MSc. UKCP Registered Psychotherapist. Since 1993 Dagmar has worked as a core tutor, facilitator and supervisor for several psychotherapy training institutes. She is trained in a range of approaches to therapeutic work, including Person-Centred, Gestalt, CBT, and Supervision. Current research interests include introducing key concepts from affective neuroscience and attachment patterns into a humanistic framework.
Some People are They - Get over It! – Thinking about Gender Identity We live in a heteronormative and cisnormative world with fixed binary notions of gender and sexuality. How challenging is it to step outside of this binary and what might that look like? How can we truly be in our clients’ frame of reference if our own frame of reference belongs to fixed notions of gender and sexuality? Facilitator: Leah Davidson & Sam Freeney Date: Saturday 3rd December 2016 Time: 9.30am for a 10am start - 4:30pm. Venue: Community Base, 5th floor conference room,113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG Entry procedure: South Wing entrance, switch on intercom, dial 555, ask to be let in Cost: £65 Full Cost, £45 Concessions Student/Unwaged CPD: 6.5 hours CPD certificate on attendance To book, please visit www.brightonbapca.co.uk
Mindfulness Course for Coaches, Counsellors and Psychotherapists Develop and grow your personal mindfulness practice with a view to enhancing your professional practice Compassion-Growth-Emotional Regulation-Listening Brighthelm Centre, central Brighton (parking/train 4 min walk) Free Introductory Session 3rd September: 10am - midday Course starts 17th Sept. Cost from ÂŁ220 Anna Kane 07582 440668 anna@ampleo.co.uk www.ampleo.co.uk/m4cp to book and more info
20
DIARY
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR SEPTEMBER 10 Fun with Transactional
Analysis Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk SEPTEMBER 10 Shame in the Therapy Hour, Brighton Therapy Partnership. Details www.brightontherapypartn ership.org.uk SEPTEMBER 17 What’s in the loft? Creative exploration of shame and longing. Wilbury Clinic. Details: thewilburyclinic.co.uk SEPTEMBER 23 Managing the Erotic Transference. Online event. Details: http://tinyurl.com/gqk9ssk SEPTEMBER 23-25 Brainspotting training. Phase one, Brighton Details:http://www.bspuk.c o.uk SEPTEMBER 25 Introduction to Mindfulness. the Link Centre. Details: thelinkcentre.co.uk SEPTEMBER 28 Online counselling for those with diabetes. Details: http://tinyurl.com/jcw2aqe
OCTOBER 1-2 Affective neuroscience and attachment theory for person-centred practice. Brighton. Details: www.brightonbapca.co.uk/# !workshops/cfvg
Birds, Bees and Babies
OCTOBER 1 The Buzz Trap:Adolescent States of Mind. Brighton Therapy Partnership. Details www.brightontherapypartn ership.org.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING WORKSHOP
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR OCTOBER 15
Using Dreams In Therapy Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk OCTOBER 20 Providing Nurturing with Dan Hughes. Details: http://www.emotionaldevelo pment.co.uk OCTOBER 22 Working with Transgender and Gender Diversity. Wilbury Clinic. Details: thewilburyclinic.co.uk NOVEMBER 5 Trauma and the Therapeutic Relationship. Details: www.brightontherapypartn ership.org.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR NOVEMBER 12
Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
NOVEMBER 17
One day Choice Theory and Reality Therapy Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk NOVEMBER 19 Ambiguous Loss with Andrea Perry. Details: http://www.emotionaldevelo pment.co.uk NOVEMBER 19-20Brainspotting training phase two, Brighton. Details: www.bspuk.co.uk DECEMBER 3 Gender identity. Brighton. Details: www.brightonbapca.co.uk/# !workshops/cfvg JANUARY 14 SCAP Seminar. Introduction to NLP Techniques for Therapists. Details: www.sussex-counselling.co. uk
Wealden Psychology Institute Established in Crowborough, East Sussex since 1986
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF CARING SERVICE IN THE SOUTH EAST! For 30 years Wealden Institute has been the centre of excellence in the South East for specialized and advanced training of counsellors, psychotherapist and supervisors. The Institute has many years’ experience in providing the highest levels of caring practice through our Trauma Clinic, Supervision Service, Forensic Psychology Division and Animal Facilitated Therapy at our organic farm in Crowborough. We offer popular and acclaimed training in each of these fields through the highly respected Wealden College of Counselling and Psychotherapy, founded in Crowborough, East Sussex in 1986.
JOIN US TO CELEBRATE ON TUESDAY 9 AUGUST – 2pm to 8pm Reconnect with us and with friends and colleagues, and hear our Mystery Celebrity Speaker!
Now enrolling on the following courses: Foundation Certificate in Transactional Analysis Counselling & Psychotherapy Advanced Transactional Analysis Counselling & Psychotherapy (leading to UKCP accreditation) Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling (BACP Accredited Course) Fully recognised EMDR training Our qualified and accredited Supervisors offer Supervision of Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Clinical Psychologists and Supervisors Wealden Trauma Clinic Our clinic offers TA, EMDR, Mindfulness and Animal Facilitated Therapy for child and adult survivors of abuse, violence and trauma.
Wealden Psychology Institute and College 2 Quarry View, Whitehill Road, Crowborough, TN6 1JT
www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk Email: admin@wealdeninstitute.co.uk Telephone: 01892 655 195
Healing the Mind, Brain and Body
!
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of challenging symptoms. Trainees will first learn the phenomenological approach that underpins Brainspotting, followed by applied strategies for identifying and processing Brainspots through specific eye positions. “Brainspotting is based on the profound attunement of the therapist with the patient, finding a somatic cue and extinguishing it by down-regulating the amygdala. It isn’t just PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System) activation that is facilitated, it is homeostasis.” -- Robert Scaer, MD, The Trauma Spectrum. Brainspotting: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Rapid and Effective Change by David Grand – 2013
Training by Dr Mark Grixti Phase 1: 23rd, 24th, 25th September 2016 Phase 2: November 19th&20th November 2016 Brighton, Sussex To find out more and to reserve a place please contact:
www.bspuk.co.uk Email: info@bspuk.co.uk Phone: 07886 659976
Seminars 2016/17
Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy Fun with Transactional Analysis, Discover your Drivers - September 10 Using Dreams in Therapy - October 15 Birds, Bees and Babies - Infant Observation November 12 Choice Theory and Reality Therapy Workshop - November 17 Introduction to NLP techniques for therapists - January 14, 2017/ Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk @SussexCAP www.facebook.com/