Therapeutic Care Blog
The CETC blog tells the stories behind 'what works' in Intensive Therapeutic Care
Belonging as an intervention: An opportunity to consider the adult that the child will become
This blog is written by Lisa Cherry. Lisa is an author and a leading international trainer and consultant, specialising in assisting those in Education, Social Care and Adoption and Fostering to understand trauma, recovery and resilience for vulnerable children, young people and their families. Lisa has over 30 years of experience in this field and …
Read MoreThe Wisdom of Lived Experience; Learning from adults who were once children in care
The Wisdom of Lived Experience; Learning from adults who were once children in care Lisa Cherry is an author, researcher and leading international trainer and consultant, specialising in assisting schools, services and systems to create change that supports working with the legacy of trauma. Lisa has been working in Education and Children’s Services for over …
Read MoreCome on it’s Only a Game
Many of you will have experienced something like the following… A residential worker is observing two young people playing table tennis in the rear yard of the residential unit. One of the boys is quite skillful and he is winning most of the points and then suddenly the other boys stamps on the table tennis …
Read MoreBook Review – What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Recovery by Dr Perry and Oprah Winfrey
Dr Perry and Oprah Winfrey recently released What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Recovery. The book tells the story of how adverse childhood experiences cause deep emotional scars, impact brain development, our personalities, our behaviours, and are a powerful predictor of our risk for physical and mental health problems later in life. …
Read MoreQ&A with the Trainer: Harmful Sexual Behaviour
Working with young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviour is complex and challenging. Cyra Fernandes and Dan Howell have spent over a 1000 hours in the past year helping carers and professionals working in out-of-home care better respond to young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviours. Harmful Sexual Behaviour is an umbrella …
Read MoreMandatory consent education, a win for all young people
Consent education will be mandatory in Australian schools from 2023, a win for Chanel Contos’ #teachusconsent movement and all young people who have called out a lack of holistic consent and sexuality education. What does this movement towards naming and changing the dynamics of coercive relationships mean for young people in out-of-home care and the …
Read MoreThe Therapeutic Power of Laughter
“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Mark Twain We all like to laugh. It makes us feel good. Among humans, laughter begins as early as four months of age (Lovorn, 2008). A child with a well-developed sense of humour has been described as “becoming a joy tracker …
Read MoreSupporting children in out-of-home care to cope with ambiguous loss
When you think of grief and loss, what comes to your mind? You may think of the immense sorrow one may experience. For some of us, we can seek solace and take comfort in mourning rituals. Our loved ones may help us come to terms with the loss and find strength to live with …
Read MoreChildren, young people and sleep
Many of those of you who know me, know that I have a big interest in sleep hygiene and the children and young people in out of home care (OOHC). To this end I have put together a small package of material that I hope you will take the time to look at and discuss …
Read MoreTrauma Informed Relationship-Based Recovery Reflection Tool
“Childhood trauma has the potential to interrupt the normal physical, physiological, emotional, mental and intellectual development, of children and can have wide-ranging, and often life-long implications for their health and wellbeing.” (Van der Kolk, 2007) Children and young people can recover from adverse childhood experiences. However, this requires that the adults they live with and/or …
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