Diapositive 1

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Ystävälliset terveiset University College
Londonista
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Tampere on ihana... voisimmeko jäädä tänne?
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ISPA ConferenceJuly 2007

• Meeting the psychological needs of children
  and young people who have been rejected, abused
  and neglected
• Dr Sean Cameron, University College London

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Objectives for this workshop

• To provide an overview of the background, theory
  and research underpinning the work that Colin
  Maginn and I have been carrying out with the
  community of carers of those children and young
  people who are in public care.
• To show how the how we can meet the parenting
  needs of these children and young people (The
  Pillars of Parenting).
• To provide a model of post-trauma stress which
  can enable residential and foster carers to
  understand and support children in public care
  (Therapeutic Child care).
• To discuss some of the implications of the
  Authentic Warmth model of residential and foster
  care.

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Well shoot. I just cant figure it out. Im
movin over 500 doughnuts a day, and Im still
barely squeakin by.
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P. Valery (1943)

• The object of Psychology is to give us a totally
  different view of the things we know best.

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Anglin (2004) has identified processes leading
to what he has described as a well-enough
functioning residential care setting 1.
Creating a home-like environment (while removing
the intimacy and intensity of the
family environment) 2. Responding
appropriately to pain and pain-based
behaviour, and 3. Developing a sense of
normality (this includes a transfer
to more normal settings, such as their own
family or a foster home).
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Parenting some myths and challenges

• Everyone in the audience knows what it is like to
  have been a child.
• Almost everyone here would probably view
  themselves as pretty expert at parenting.
• Some people here would be able to list the
  ESSENTIAL parenting experiences which a growing
  child requires.
• Very few people would be able to say exactly why
  such experiences are so important for a child or
  young person.

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Rejection and exclusion

• Social Rejection
• Baumeister (2005) compared the brains response
  to rejection with its reaction to physical
  injury.
• .. social rejection is a bit like getting
  knocked on the head with a brick.
• Parental rejection
• When attempting to understand the emotional,
  adjustment and attainment difficulties of
  children and young people in public care, a
  conceptual shift is required, namely that they
  are part of the much larger population of
  children in our society who have all shared
  negative life experiences, the common factor
  being parental rejection (Rohner 2004 Rohner et
  al 2004).

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• Attunement occurs when the parent
• is aware of his or her own
• feelings and sensations, and at the same time
• recognises how the child is
• responding and can communicate
• this awareness back to the child.
• Waldsax, A. (2004). Parenting. In K.N.
  Dwivedi and P.B. Harper, (eds.) Promoting the
  Emotional Well-being of Children and Adolescents
  and Preventing their Mental Ill Health. London
  Kingsley.

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Authoritative parenting

• is highly responsive, appropriately
  demanding and low on psychological manipulation

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Parenting style Baumrind, 1991 1993Plus
Authentic Warmth, Cameron Maginn, 2005
High level of sensitivity to and interest in child
Positive psychological control
Indulgent Parenting
Authoritative Parenting
Low level parental control/ management and
expectations for learning and behaviour
High level of parental control/ management and
expectations for learning and behaviour
Neglectful Parenting
Authoritarian Parenting
Negative psychological control
Low level of sensitivity to and interest in child
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Authoritative parenting

• Warmth and understanding towards child
• High level of involvement with the child.
• Rules and discipline applied fairly and with
• a clear explanation/ rationale provided.
• Nb. Only authoritative parenting is likely to
  lead to healthy and socially desirable child
  development.

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The Eight Pillars of Parenting

• Primary care protection
• Secure attachment
• Positive Self-perception
• Emotional competence
• Self-management skills
• Resilience
• A sense of belonging
• Personal and personal responsibility

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• Those working in the field of adolescent
  education need to be alerted to the possibility
  that it may be important to minimise the use of
  strategies such as Worry, Self-blame, Keep to
  Self and Tension Reduction whilst maximising the
  usage of strategies such as Work Hard, Focus on
  Solving Problem, Seek Relaxing Diversions and
  Seek Physical Recreation.
• Reference source Lewis, R., Frydenberg, E.
  (2002) Concomitants of failure to cope what we
  should teach adolescents about coping. British
  Journal of Educational Psychology, 27, 419-431.

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Loss and grief

• You cannot heal a wound by saying that it is not
  there.
• Jeremiah, 63

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Approaches to living with and working with
traumatised children and young people

• Three phases of support and management -
• Stabilisation (e.g. providing a safe physical
  and psychological
• environment).
• Integration (processing the trauma e.g.
  putting the past in its place).
• Adaptation (re-establishing social
  connectedness, personal
• efficacy and rediscovering
  the joy of living).
• Reference source
• Cairns, K (2002) Attachment, Trauma and
  Resilience therapeutic caring
• for children London British Association for
  Adoption and Fostering

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Post-traumatic growth

• PTSD as a continuum of adaptive behaviour rather
  than a distinctly abnormal reaction.Three broad
  areas for positive change and growth
• Perception of self
• Acknowledgement of vulnerability and appreciation
  of integral strength.
• Relationships with others
• Development of compassion, empathy and altruism.
• Philosophy of life
• Valuing and appreciation of everyday life
• Reference source Linley, A. (2000) Transforming
  psychology the example of trauma. The
  Psychologist, 13(7) 353-355

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Authentic Warmth in professional childcare
whats required?

• Staff development, training on the theory behind
  the Pillars of Parenting and post-trauma
  support.
• Staff Support from visiting Child Psychologist
  working within the Authentic Warmth model.
• Management support in incorporating the model
  into the existing childcare culture .

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Big issues arising from the Authentic Warmth
approach

• Children need to be cared about as opposed to
  being merely looked-after.
• Authentically warm parenting does not mean
  over-protecting and cushioning children from
  real-world experiences.

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Big issues arising from the Authentic Warmth
project (contd.)

• The search for mediating variables which bridge
  the gap between parental rejection/ abuse/
  neglect and SUCCESSFUL life outcomes for children
  in care needs to continue.
• The provision of staff support for the
  post-traumatic stress, which often follows these
  negative life experiences is essential.
• The search for quick-fix solutions to complex
  problem should be abandoned

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• ..psychologists will learn how to build the
  qualities that help individuals and communities,
  not just to endure and survive, but also to
  flourish.
• (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)

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Subjective Happiness the Menu...

• If you want to be happy for...
• One hour
• One day
• One week
• One month
• One year
• One decade
• One half-century

• Then you should...
• Take a nap
• Go to a good concert/film/play
• Take a summer holiday
• Take a winter holiday
• Get married
• Increase your well-being (e.g. complete something
  challenging).
• Learn to love what you do!

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(Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)

• ..psychologists will learn how to build the
  qualities that help individuals and communities,
  not just to endure and survive, but also to
  flourish.

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Loppu!