Support and/or delivery of intervention work
EPs can offer a range of support around targeted intervention work (see table below). Support could involve the EP delivering an intervention or co-delivering with a member of staff. Alternatively the EP may be able to train staff to deliver a particular intervention and/or provide staff supervision. For more information on each approach, please click the boxes and read more in our Therapeutic Approaches document.
Lego Therapy
LEGO-Based Group Skills is a collaborative play experience in which children work together within designated roles to build LEGO models to promote development of their social and communication skills.
'Drawing and Talking'
Drawing and Talking is a gentle therapeutic approach based on attachment and Jungian theory. In essence, it aims to help a child/young person (CYP) who has experienced trauma to express their emotions, releasing difficult feelings within a safe, contained environment. The intention is for this to support an increase in their sense of wellbeing and subsequent ability to engage in learning.
Social Stories (Carol Gray)
The terms 'social story' and 'social stories' are trademarks originated and owned by Carol Gray. Social Stories are a visual teaching tool that can help young people with social communication and learning needs understand new routines, upcoming events and specific behavioural expectations. They are personalised to accurately describe a context, skill, achievement, concept or event according to set defining criteria. Social Stories can be written together with the young person using words and pictures to present information in a clear and concise way.
Therapeutic Story Writing
Therapeutic Story Writing (TSW) was developed to support pupils whose emotional anxieties are impacting on their learning. TSW enables CYP to work through metaphors within stories. By using metaphors CYP are given the opportunity to explore their internal feelings and to make sense of difficult feelings in a safe and contained way. Different aspects of the child can be explored through story characters.
Social Skills Circle of Friends
Circle of Friends can be used to support the inclusion of CYP with SEND, who may be having difficulties in school/college and would benefit from peer support to help them feel more included.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based interventions focus on the idea that thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all interconnected. The negative thoughts and feelings can be seen as ‘unhelpful’, ‘automatic’ or ‘hot’ which lead to negative patterns in behaviour and overall wellbeing.
Emotional Literacy (EL)
Our EL Conference is a 1-day annual event, usually held in January. It is suitable for ELSAs, Nurture Leads, SENDCos, SMHleads and/or anyone with an interest in Emotional Literacy and supporting Children and Young People.
ELSA Support
Southampton Psychology Service continues to invest and support Emotional Literacy (EL) work in 3 main ways:
- Training new ELSAs
- Supporting and developing the practice of our existing ELSAs
- Promoting EL Development for all working with young people. Each of these commissioned services can be purchased into directly, or, new for the coming year, can be accessed at a promotional level via our SLA.
The 'Homunculi' Approach
The Homunculi, (or ‘little people’), is a fun intervention that builds social and emotional resilience in children and young people, who often have difficulty identifying troubling feelings such as anger, fear and anxiety.
Overcoming (Parent/carer CBT Support)
The Overcoming Programme is an evidence-based guided Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme for parents/carers of CYP experiencing anxiety. CBT has a robust evidence base for supporting childhood anxiety and can be effectively delivered with parents/carers, as they are able to learn and teach their child CBT principles and apply them within their everyday lives.
Nurture Group
EPs can support with the initial set up process of Nurture Groups in schools/colleges and provide necessary training. The training explores the use of Nurture Groups as a therapeutic tool for inclusion. It covers the practicalities of setting up and running successful Nurture Groups in settings, including consideration of the Boxall Profile, the physical environment, group dynamics, activities to develop social and emotional skills, and supporting successful transitions.
Sand Tray Therapy
Sand tray therapy or sand play therapy is a therapeutic approach used for young people who have experienced trauma. The practitioner provides the young person with a tray filled with sand as well as a variety of miniature toys to create a play world. Toys may include anything from farm animals to unicorns, helicopters, and shells.
Comic Strip Conversations (Carol Gray)
Comic Strip Conversations are simple drawings to visually record a past, present or future problematic conversation and help the young person understand the perspectives of others. They are quick and easy, child-led and can be referred back to later. Originally developed by Carol Gray to support pupils with autism, they can also be used to support young people with language and learning needs who require visual support to improve their understanding of social situations. Using stick people drawings, the conversation will outline what was said (speech bubbles) and the potential thoughts (thought bubbles) and feelings of everyone (colour coded for emotions) in the conversation.
Emotion Coaching
Emotion Coaching is an evidence-based, universal approach to help staff to support children and young people (CYP) to self-regulate their emotions and behaviour, improving competencies to manage difficult feelings. The training will explore how Emotion Coaching can be used to create an ethos of positive learning behaviour and aid staff confidence to de-escalate situations when behaviour is challenging.
ACT/DNA-V
The DNA-V model has been developed for young people to help think about and learn the skills needed to support them to thrive. It is based on an approach called ACT ('Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training') and draws from 'positive psychology'. This means that we purposefully focus on what can help, not solely on what could be 'wrong'.
| Approach | Training for staff | Co-delivery with staff | Delivery by an EP | Supervision for staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lego Based Group Skills | ||||
| Drawing and Talking | ||||
| Social Stories (Carol Gray) | ||||
| Therapeutic Story Writing | ||||
| Social Skills - Circle of Friends | ||||
| Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) | ||||
| Emotional Literacy (EL) | ||||
| Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Input | ||||
| The Homunculi Approach | ||||
| Overcoming - (Parent/Carer CBT Support) | ||||
| Nurture Group | ||||
| Sand Tray Therapy | ||||
| Comic Strip Conversations (Carol Gray) | ||||
| Emotion Coaching | ||||
| DNA-V / ACT |
Supervision sessions have offered support and time to share ideas and resources with other ELSAs.
EL Conference - updated information shared - guest speaker was very inspiring this year. Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo)
The Bounce-Back bespoke sessions were fun and interactive and provided an opportunity for the boys to really reflect as well as a safe space to express themselves. The group also provided valuable feedback for staff, and strategies to support them further and the boys left us equipped with more self-regulation skills ready for secondary school’.
Staff support
We know that in order to support children and young people most effectively, we need to support the adults that work with them. We work closely with settings to find the most effective ways of supporting valued staff for example: individual supervision sessions, staff surgeries or grouped discussions, reflections and staff development offers.
Supervision/coaching
Supervision is a confidential, supportive space where the EP can try to understand the experiences of school staff; listen to their concerns; and ask questions to support reflection, action-planning and wellbeing. We offer different models of supervision to suit individual needs and differing professional roles and responsibilities. The focus is on supporting school/college staff in their personal and professional development and in reflecting on their practice.
Coaching is a bespoke, individualised approach that can be very helpful in developing staff wellbeing and performance. It is a positive, evidence-informed response that is structured, collaborative, future-focussed and goal-orientated. Coaching supports problem-solving and solution finding.
EP staff surgeries
School/college staff can book a session with an EP to discuss a specific issue in their work with CYP and gain a psychological perspective. This has proved to be a very effective way of meeting both staff and pupil needs. The staff surgery can take place throughout the year as negotiated with the Link EP. These discussions will be anonymous and therefore no parental consent will be required. No report will be written. The discussions can be used for problem solving around individual pupils, or for managing more systemic school based issues (e.g., supporting a pattern of identified need with a school).
Relationships, Learning, Growth
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Multidisciplinary and community connections
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Collaborative problem solving
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High professional standards
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Sharing skills and knowledge
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Recieving feedback and evaluating our practice
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Empowering parents
Teachers have found professional dialogue and advice invaluable. SENCo
This was very informative for the staff who attended this surgery and we have been able to implement some strategies with these children. SENCo
