Care Therapeutic Approach
Jess Care offers specialist in house one-to-one counselling based on an integrative framework. The therapy offered is tailored to each individual young person based on their presenting needs and difficulties. The therapy offered is trauma informed, working holistically with the body and mind. The focus of therapy is to create a reparative relationship whilst working towards building residents’ resilience, inner resources, and self-esteem.
We offer a one-to-one timetabled session alongside drop-in support for times when a resident may present in crisis. There is also the provision of occasional workshops for residents on coping strategies, mental health, healthy relationships, and self-care techniques. Some of the interventions used at Eaglehurst include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutic tools
- Mindfulness
- Walk and talk and Eco therapy
- Sand tray
- Animal assisted interventions (we currently have a therapy dog in training Rodney)
- Horse assisted regulation
- Talking therapy
- Creative/art therapy
- Life Coaching/Mentoring
- Sensory and somatic work
We currently have one psychotherapeutic counsellor who specialises in working with trauma.
The home has access to horses off site who are used as therapy pets to assist with co-regulation and to encourage relationship building skills for residents who struggle more evidently with attachment disorders. Our children and young people are encouraged to care for our animals to foster a sense of responsibility and empathy for others.
The work carried out in therapy is echoed in the approach within the home. Staff are trained to develop skills to identify and understand attachment disorders and relational trauma, ensuring that they feel confident and able to work with the complexities and trauma that some children may present.
Staff are trained in therapeutic parenting and the home is committed to creating a therapeutic environment and approach to care for our children holistically. Physical activities are scheduled that encourage autonomic nervous system regulation such as trampolining and horse riding to reflect the somatic work undertaken in therapy.
How children & young people access therapy or therapeutic support:
A thorough initial assessment for therapy is completed to understand the young person’s struggles, history and therapeutic needs and a care plan for the therapy will be outlined to work towards addressing the young person’s struggles.
Much of the early therapeutic intervention is to build a therapeutic relationship and explore any initial resistance to engagement in therapy and work out a way that feels accessible and approachable for a young person such as walk and talk, creative therapies, or animal assisted therapy.
Formal therapy will only start when the young person is ready to engage and has developed a strong working alliance with the therapist. If any young person is unwilling to engage with formal therapeutic services, then this is never forced.
It is important for our residents to have some sense of autonomy and engagement in therapy and is therefore completely voluntary, however staff will try and encourage engagement by discussing their concerns with them and finding a way that may feel less threatening to deliver the therapy rather than a traditional talking session.
All staff receive practice related and reflective supervision, plus clinical supervision on a regular basis.
It is important to us at Eaglehurst that young people want to live at Eaglehurst, feel empowered and included in their care and that outcomes are positive from their therapy.