Shining a light on our trauma therapy service
Family Action Royal Patron, The Princess of Wales visited our Children’s Trauma Therapy Service in Bradford as part of a round of visits to organisations in the North of England, with the aim of shining a light on the healing power of creativity, community and nature for individuals who have experienced adversity, abuse and traumatic bereavement.
The Children’s Trauma Therapy Service works to help children aged 5-18 years old, and their families to recover from and understand their responses to complex trauma. Working with the whole family, alongside extended engagement with families (up to 24 weeks for the first block of work) is what makes this service almost unique in the country. The therapists follow a three-stage trauma therapy model (stabilisation, trauma processing, rebuilding confidence and hope for the future) working with parents, children and the professional networks that surround them using creative interventions such as art, movement and creative therapy to help children/young people manage and process their trauma, incorporating evidence-based approaches.
The Princess met with therapists from the service and heard how creative therapies are particularly helpful in supporting children to regulate their trauma symptoms, tell their stories and process their trauma experiences. Her Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet families and children that have used the service, which she described as “a lifeline” and joined a creative therapy session to understand how the use of play and creativity can be a vehicle for healing.
It’s probably been a lifeline for them in so many ways and being able to extend that umbilical cord support - the fact that you’re able to continue that relationship with them.
A box of wishes
Her Royal Highness then went on to meet a 5-year-old girl whose therapist was helping her to make a ‘box of wishes’, and showed the young girl how to listen to the sea through a shell.
The Princess said:
“Sometimes if you put them to your ear, you can sometimes hear the sea, do you want to see if you can hear the sea? Sometimes you can hear the waves. If you listen very quietly.
That’s what I like doing with shells. If you close your eyes you can sometimes imagine you’re by the beach.
The little girl replied “yes” when asked if she could hear the waves and showed The Princess a “potion” she had made that would keep “the bad dreams” away.
If you need support with any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact our helpline, FamilyLine or find a service in your area.
