Therapeutic Care Blog
The CETC blog tells the stories behind 'what works' in Intensive Therapeutic Care
A Story You May Recognise
Peta had worked in residential care for 18 months. She took the position because she had had a difficult childhood and she felt that she had a lot to offer the young people in care. She was currently undertaking Cert IV and she was really enjoying it. There was a new young woman in the …
Read MoreUnderstanding vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
Research shows how profoundly influenced we are by other people’s emotional states and how rapidly our interpersonal affective responses occur, and how dynamically our physiology responds to others’ emotional states. This is why trauma can be emotionally contagious. I have experienced it personally. When I was working doing assessments of very violent and sexually abusive …
Read MoreHow do you support staff feeling defeated and powerless? A Case Study
My work as a Therapeutic Specialist is about finding ways to equip and support staff to provide high-quality therapeutic care for young people living in Intensive Therapeutic Care homes. It is about sharing knowledge, facilitating reflective practice and, perhaps most importantly, holding the hope that positive change is possible. In this blog, I want to …
Read More‘Tis the Season to be Jolly’ – but not for everyone
It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the fun and happiness of Christmas and forget that, for others, the season isn’t necessarily a joyful one. For some the young people in the ITC system, Christmas has not been a happy time and can bring back difficult memories. Arguments, violence or aggression in the …
Read More8 Ways to Support Young People in Residential Care during COVID-19
How do we keep to the therapeutic care principles of safety, consistency, predictability, and routine in a world that feels like it has turned upside down overnight? It’s near impossible! If we are feeling this way, imagine how young people may be feeling. I know you are all working very hard to put plans in …
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