Russell Dicks

Children and family and Specialist Services to Looked After and Adopted Children

I work with children and young people individually or with them alongside their family members. This will depend on the circumstance and the wishes and feelings of the child and family. Either way I view children and young people as part of a family ‘system’: affecting it and affected by it.

Family work enables family members, couples and others who care about each other to come together and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely. This can help them to understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs, build on strengths and make useful changes in their relationships and their lives.

Specialist work with children and families

Over the past 10 years I have worked a great deal with children and their families and carers, who have suffered early life traumas and relationship difficulties. Often these children are in foster or residential care or have been adopted. Given the experiences of these children and their parents or carers, specialist help may be required.

I work to an Attachment focussed model as outlined by Dan Hughes and encompassed in the approach known as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). Please see the following page for more details.

Additionally I can provide:

• Consultations and direct work with parents and carers to support them and help them develop the skills of therapeutic caring.
• Direct work with children and young people, including work with self esteem, confidence and around emotions including anger and anxiety.
• Specific trauma work with young people or adults incorporating EMDR.
• Life story work.
• Group work with parents and carers.
• Supervision to staff working in these areas.
• Training in specific issues (available on request).