April 27, 2010Autism

Jude Welton on Asperger Syndrome, metaphors and literal thinking

“Since children with Asperger Syndrome are literal thinkers, some parents and professionals try to avoid metaphorical language, so as not to confuse or distress – but this can’t prepare the child for the real world. And non-literal language can be fun! If metaphors are explained and explored in a relaxed, playful way, they can enrich children’s understanding of language and the world, and help them to use language in a less formal and more ‘natural’ sounding way.”

March 30, 2010Education

Liz Hoggarth: Outcome evaluation – help is on the way

“Many of us react instinctively against further demands to produce evidence, especially quantitative information – we know all too well that progress with clients is made up of tiny, often faltering, steps forward that are extremely difficult to demonstrate or quantify. There are downsides to the outcomes approach as there are to other systems of planning and evaluation. But the question of outcomes is a perfectly legitimate one. The number of visits made to a family is beside the point if the risks are not picked up and appropriate interventions are not identified to begin to help people deal with the problems. The number of counselling sessions provided is hardly important if in the end they made no difference for the person seeking help. We must address outcomes in order to improve services.”

March 30, 2010May 8, 2017Arts therapies

Chris Nicholson on Creative Therapeutic Approaches with traumatised young people

“Through sensitively handled, creative interaction and by the use of ‘creative’ approaches with traumatised young people their characteristic rigidity begins to loosen. New possibilities emerge, the mutative nature of create endeavours. In time, they may be able to see painfully familiar situations in different and helpful ways that can lead to their forming a new response.”

March 15, 2010Autism

An interview with Ilona Roth: Getting to grips with the Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century

“…there seem to be two contrasting stereotypes about people with autism – either they are thought to be all severely disabled or all eccentric geniuses. While autism can reflect each of these extremes (or both together) it can also be many things in between. One challenge, therefore, is to ensure that the full spectrum of variation is understood. This is essential if people on the autism spectrum are to be seen as individuals with different needs.”

February 26, 2010May 8, 2017Counselling

Jenny Weinstein on Service User Involvement in Mental Health Care

“Working with service users has taught me that professionals like me, however experienced or well trained we think we are, often miss the most important issues from a user’s perspective. I believe that hearing service users’ views and having service users involved centrally in all aspects of planning, developing and evaluating services is absolutely vital to ensure high quality services that are fit for purpose.”

February 26, 2010Counselling

Deborah Plummer on Imagework and Helping Children to Cope with Change, Stress and Anxiety

“When a child comes up with an image that represents how he feels about a situation, he is tapping into something that goes way beyond logical thought processes. And when he realises that he can ‘play’ with these images and be creative in forming new images, then he can begin to take more control. Imagework often triggers insights and shifts in perspective which may not come through logical thinking alone.”

February 15, 2010Autism

Ilona Roth: Some thoughts on International Aspergers Day 2010

“…just when the concept of Asperger has become so firmly established in both clinical practice and public understanding, the latest report from the DSM-V Neurodevelopmental Disorders Work Group signals the likelihood that Asperger syndrome, and other diagnostic ‘sub-types’ within the spectrum will be replaced by a single label, ‘autism spectrum disorder’ […] to those for whom the label ‘Asperger syndrome’ is a badge of identity, the change may be unwelcome. For others, it may bring greater recognition of the difficulties experienced even at the ‘high-functioning’ end of the spectrum…”

February 15, 2010Adoption and Fostering

Linda Woodcock on Managing Meltdowns

“The low arousal approach is based on three assumptions, firstly that most individuals who are distressed are extremely aroused at the time, therefore we should avoid doing anything to make it worse…”

January 15, 2010Social work

Kieran O’Hagan on Competence in Social Work Practice

“…why is it that a very small number of social workers who have striven so hard to qualify and who have demonstrably proven their competence at the end of their training fail to maintain it in practice? […] It certainly cannot happen overnight. The reports often expose terrible working conditions, e.g., inadequate supervision and resources, and unrealistic caseloads (and that’s even without mention of exceedingly difficult and often intimidating clients). All of these factors may adversely affect the worker’s level of performance, and in some cases, make it virtually impossible to maintain the level of competence already achieved in practice placements, and amply recorded and demonstrated in workers’ portfolio. Therein I believe, lies both the problem and the solution…”