Parenting Strategies to Help Adopted and Fostered Children with Their Behaviour by Christine Gordon

​The wonderful wisdom in this book is a most welcome addition for any parent, professional or educator supporting children with difficult to understand behaviour. Although the focus of the book is on children affected by early trauma, (especially children who are fostered or adopted) the strategies and
underpinning knowledge is universally valuable. I found the book to be full of insights which have deepened my understanding of parenting and working with children who have had a difficult start in life.

The book offers a unique contribution to the literature on parenting children with early life trauma due to the inclusion of the invaluable behaviour charts which make up the second half of the book. The charts explain the underlying causes of many common behaviours children affected by trauma display, with useful insights and strategies for interpreting and supporting behaviour when it arises.

It is very understanding of the struggles many adults have in caring for traumatised children and helps you feel understood and validated.
It is not easy caring for children with trauma histories and when a book like this come along it provides light at the end of an often very long tunnel. 

This book helps carers make the shift from seeing behaviour as:
Challenging to distressed
What is wrong with you? to What has happened to you?
What are you doing? to What is your behaviour trying to tell me?
and from focusing only on behaviour to wondering about the meaning and the deeper communication.

The uniqueness and value in this book lies not only in the author's obvious knowledge and expertise, but the clear and applicable charts which really do help decipher and translate behaviour into communication. I have my copy beside my bed and refer to it often. This not only helps me, but ensures my adopted children get a more understanding and supportive parent.

 Kevin Denvir
​(Adoptive parent, foster carer and ASN teacher)

Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Traumatised Children
(3rd Edition), Daniel A. Hughes PhD

This highly engaging and insightful book uses the story of Katie, a child at risk and then in foster care to explore the theory and application of Developmental Dyadic Psychotherapy (DDP), both in therapy in in therapeutic care.  Although the characters Hughes introduces us to (especially Katie) are an amalgam of real carers, children and Social Worker that Hughes and other practitioners have known over the years, they are believable.  The Inner World of “Katie” is well described, as is the seemingly endless patience of Jackie, Katie’s fourth foster mum.
​
Through the narrative (novelistic) style, Hughes adopts, we get a revealing outline of blocked trust, blocked care, PACE in action and the process of PACEFUL parenting & therapeutic intervention.  Use of the Social Worker’s own developing relationship & parenting of his first child provides an opportunity for the reader to compare normal developmental pathways of relational styles, with the disordered reactions and thinking of Katie.

Each chapter is full of detailed descriptions of significant incidents followed by a reflective “commentary” section.  This allows the reader to refresh and summarise what has occurred, whilst checking their understanding of the trickier concepts and reviewing their own learning and development of ideas.

The introduction can be read alone as a helpful outline of attachment, why it is important and the role of therapy.  It also provides a helpful overview of the main aspects of attachment, and the important concepts that develop through early care, especially the role of attachment, empathy and intersubjectivity.  It provides a useful definition of trauma and the distinction between PTSD and developmental trauma.

At times the reader feels exhausted alongside the foster carers, especially Jackie, who are struggling to get it right for Katie and this is one of the books strengths – the ability to illustrate how difficult it can be to care for, and keep caring for highly traumatised children.  Although the outcome for Katie might be seen, by some, as too easy, for others it will be seen as an inevitable outcome of the hard work of therapeutic parenting where the aim is to build the bonds of attachment.  The reader never loses sight of wanting things to be better for Katie no matter how challenging she seems, because Hughes has drawn her character and the motivations for her behaviours so well.

Hughes skilfully outlines, through the examples he describes, the need for constant self-reflection on the part of therapeutic carers, including support to explore their own attachment history and the necessity of having access to the support of a therapist who is focused on the development of the relationship between carer and child.  By accompanying Jackie and Katie through their therapy sessions, the focus of the problem is shifted from a “within child” model (and the reader is given an example of this type of therapy in Katie’s first therapist) to a “within relationship” model.  By making the mind shift to seeing the problem located within relationship and knowing how they work, the message of this insightful, highly readable book is one of hope.  Things can change.  Children can be helped and healed.

Lesley Craig
Educational Psychologist
Clackmannanshire Educational Psychology Service.

The Boy Who Built a Wall around Himself
by Ali Redford, illustrated by Kara Simpson.
 
This little book is intended for 4-9 year olds but carries a message for people of all ages.

Written by adoptive mother, Ali Redford, it tells the story of “Boy” who, finding “everything  scarily wrong”, builds a protective wall around himself because no one seems to  care.

Fortunately for Boy, there is help at hand in the form of “Someone Kind “who persists in engaging with him and helps to break the wall down.

The text of the book is perfectly complemented with illustrations by Kara Simpson who captures, in comic book format drawings, the isolation felt by Boy and the playful and imaginative attempts by Someone Kind to help him. The use of “Boy” and “Someone Kind”, instead of names, allows any child listening to the story to relate to it at their own level.

There are messages in this book for all those involved in the care of traumatised children.  Firstly, that helping children to heal from past experiences takes persistence and time, that for a child to give up their “wall” can be very scary for them and that the way forward is through a positive and consistent relationship with a secure adult.  Dan Hughes would approve of the way “Someone Kind engages with the child in a playful way!  Most importantly the book gives a message of hope that, in time, children can heal from past experiences.
​
Talking about “walls”, both physical and metaphorical, seems topical these days! There are lessons that can be drawn from this useful little book - that talking is better than silence and building bridges more helpful than building walls.  This book would offer encouragement to any child hearing Boy’s story and to parents / carers as well.  Although small in size it gives a big message!

Star rating ****
Heather Drysdale
(Systemic Psychotherapist/Adoption and Fostering Consultant)

The Neurobiology of Attachment-Focused Therapy - Enhancing connection & trust in the treatment of children and adolescent by Jonathan Baylin and Daniel A Hughes 

The focus of this book is set with a quote from Colwyn Trevarthan Emeritus Professor of Child Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Edinburgh.
“If we are to protect young children from harm …we will have to value more and give response to what children bring to human life-the eager spirit of their joyful projects beyond their seeking to survive.” 

How can therapists and caregivers help maltreated children recover what they were born with: the potential to experience the safety, comfort, and joy of having trustworthy, loving adults in their lives? 

In order to address this question this book shares the work of Dan Hughes and Jon Baylin in their development of a science based model of attachment focused therapy that links clinical interventions that are informed by an understanding of brain functioning on attachment and relationships. Thus Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is linked to neurobiological processes.

Neuroscience shows that negative experiences lead to the development of a neural “alarm system” called the mid brain defence system linked to chronic defensiveness- the core of blocked trust.

The treatment is to target the mid brain alarm system – the part of the brain sensitised by pain suppression and chronic defensiveness evident in children who have developed blocked trust –the suppression of inherent relational needs due to poor care. 

The prefrontal cortex is activated in order to support new learning and move from mistrust to trust. This is done through techniques of reversal learning, fear extinction, memory reconsolidation, reflection, and reappraisal. The therapy ensure adults send messages of approachability and trustworthiness into child’s brain. i.e. not being defensive adults in order to ensure provision of comforting enjoyable experiences with adults. Safety is key in developing this trustworthy environment. 

Underpinning this approach are the key DDP elements of PACE – playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, empathy which are utilised by the therapist in work with children, parents and families. 

The content of the book is laid out in such a way that the reader is informed by the new science of attachment and the bio behavioural processes of trust, mistrust and trust building. This is rich and informative. The focus then leads on to the means of change in the brain functioning in order to bring about therapeutic intervention. There are summaries for some chapters (those providing theoretical background) which are an excellent learning aid. The chapters on intervention are very well illustrated with clinical examples which bring alive the approach as well as reminding the reader of the pain for the children and families involved. 

In drawing the book to a close the focus is directed to the future and the possible expansion of the DDP model looking at more processes to decrease chronic stress and defensiveness. 

The linking of the constantly developing information on brain functioning with attachment focused therapy is very successfully achieved in this book which will provide those working with children and families with potentially both an increased body of knowledge and an improved skill base.

​Ann Rooney
Consultant / Trainer

There is no better guide to how children develop their rich emotional, relational, and creative lives than is the wisdom of Colwyn Trevarthen, Jaak Panksepp and Phyllis Booth.  In this book, all three make it clear that reciprocal play--play that involves joy and delight, magic and music, often rough and tumble, always engaging in the back and forth of spontaneous encounters and movements--is a central component in the full development of children.  
            
In the first chapter Trevarthen and Panksepp summarize clearly their view of human development:  “We are born with a moving body, ready to share its rhythms and melodies of joy or anguish.  Our vitality is by nature that of a dancer or musician, and this intelligence in movement gives us signals to be shared. (p. 39).”   In the Forward, Booth gives us a brief glimpse of how Winnicott saw play between the child and psychotherapist as being at the heart of the creative changes that such meetings attempted to foster.   Play too, is the central core of Theraplay, a treatment modality developed by Booth that moves play from the focus on the symbolic play of traditional therapies to the reciprocal, expressive, movements of delight and engagement that occurs within Theraplay between the child and therapist and the child and parent. 
            
Attachment theory and research stresses the importance of safety that is established in the infant-parent relationship within which the young child learns within joint activities with the parent to regulate their affective states and begin to make sense of the world.  The reciprocal, moment-to-moment engagement--often characterized by music and  rhythms that have been called “the dance of attunement”-- between infant and parent is the foundation for the child becoming safe to explore the larger world of relationships with peers and developing interests.  Through reciprocal play, the rich inner world into the minds and hearts of others--family and friends--becomes open to the child.
            
When children have had the misfortune of developing a troubled or disorganized attachment with their original caregivers, these children need to develop relationships with their new caregivers that feature the presence of comfort (for attachment) and joy (for companionship).  Repetitive nonverbal communications that express empathy, delight, interest, and wonder are central in these children learning that they are able to trust these caregivers.  Joint activities that involve music and dance, spontaneous intentional movements requiring a shared focus and cooperation are important ways to engage these children to develop their trust.  Similar activities with their peers are often crucial both in helping the child to both return to the past with joint activities that they had needed but did not receive, as well as moving into the future into groups of friends. 
            
Inclusion, Play, and Empathy offers a great variety of ways to become engaged with children who have had difficult beginnings while guiding them to participate in those spontaneous, joint activities of creative play that they desperately need.  Music and dance, but also all sorts of shared intentions and activities, are presented in this book as ways that will facilitate children’s neuroaffective development in group settings.  Therapists from many countries and all persuasions share their insights attained through their creative therapies that are likely to offer ideas for engaging children to both parents and professionals alike.
 
These programs cannot replace the child’s need to develop safe relationships with their primary caregivers characterized by comfort and joy.  However they may well complement such relationships and, in fact, the child’s participation in these crucial experiences of play with peers, maybe actually help them to become more open to exploring a closer relationship with their caregivers.  The therapies presented in this well-edited book are excellent examples of “therapies that enhance the deep creative and restorative powers of human nature (p.49).”

Dan Hughes PhD
​Founder of DDP

The Teacher’s Introduction to Attachment: Practical Essentials for Teachers, Carers and School Support Staff by Nicola Marshall

Teaching colleagues and school support staff are frequently in search of knowledge, understanding and skills to assist them in meeting the needs of some of our most vulnerable children- those who have experienced early developmental trauma. 

Within education circles some would argue that meeting the needs of this group of children presents one of the greatest challenges to fostering an inclusive education system and to realising the aspirations of Getting it Right for Every Child.

Nicola Marshall’s book is a helpful addition to the range of resources designed to support staff and carers to respond positively to the often complex challenges presented by children with attachment difficulties. 

She describes her book as a “down to earth, practical and accessible look at the world of attachment and trauma, particularly in educational settings” – and that is precisely what it is. 

While drawing on the work of many well-known writers and practitioners in the field, notably Dan Hughes, Bruce Perry, Kate Cairns and Louise Bomber amongst others, Marshall expresses the hope that the reader will find that her book comes from a real place of experience. The experience she refers to is that of being the parent of three adopted children, who she describes as being the reason for the book; having given her the inspiration to try to help others understand the impact of early trauma on children.

                 “The key to most things in life is awareness and understanding.
                   Once you have that the strategies are easier to find”. 

While there can be little doubt of the truth of this statement, many teachers may assert that while the understanding is essential, it is not sufficient, and that what is needed in schools is the means to implement practical effective strategies on a day to day basis. The fact that Nicola Marshall manages to cover both theory and practical strategy, and more importantly link them meaningfully in a relatively short 147 pages should add to the appeal of this book for busy school staff. 

The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 looks at theory and starts from the perspective of some of the puzzling behaviours and responses of traumatised children, acknowledging that we need to ‘take a step back’ and look at what may have happened in the lives of children before they came to school, to really understand the feelings behind the behaviours they present. This is a fundamentally important point, highlighting as it does that effective support for children needs to look beyond and behind behaviour. Teachers and other school staff frequently report that ‘traditional’ and often tried and tested approaches are simply not effective and this can lead to frustration and hopelessness for staff and children alike.

This section covers trauma, its meaning and causes as well as describing the attachment cycle, brain development, the consequences of disrupted attachment and attachment styles. Marshall acknowledges that there is more to say on this subject but her hope is that there is sufficient information in this to allow an understanding and that readers will be inspired to seek a greater depth of understanding through the references and resources provided. Although I have some reservations about describing attachment styles in a resource such as this, as it can reinforce the risk of tendencies to ‘classify’ and label children, there is enough in the later sections of this book to counter- balance any such propensity.  

Part 2 focuses on the Guiding Principles of working to support children. In this section the principles outlined are – Relationships over Programmes, Emotional Age over Chronological Age, Structure over Chaos, Time in over Time out and Sensory Less over Sensory More.  These sound principles for working with children who have experienced trauma and disrupted attachment are helpful for practitioners not only in thinking about the needs of children but also in providing a framework for considering the application of supportive approaches in their particular context and setting.  As such they are useful in helping staff and carers to begin to think about the practical application of strategies with the children they work with on a day to day basis. 

Part 3 goes on to focus specifically on areas of concern in an effort to deepen understanding of the needs of children and some strategies which may be of benefit. This is a practical and helpful overview of some of the main issues and builds effectively of the previous sections covering toxic shame, identity, empathy, trust, control and self-reliance, self-regulation, memory and organisation and changes and transition. Each chapter considers the possible underlying causes of concern, examines the implications for the child and his/her development, the signs that the particular area may be a difficulty for the child and focuses on what can be done to help. It manages to give greater insight into the complex and puzzling behaviours which can perplex (and sometimes defeat staff and carers) as well as offering advice about effective strategies to support children to overcome early adversity and settle to learn. 

Marshall provides examples and weaves some of her own experiences throughout.  This gives the book the flavour of what she describes as ‘heart knowledge as well as head knowledge’ and as such will resonate with those experiencing the challenges of living with or working with traumatised children.
The final section of the book picks up some of the areas not readily captured by the previous parts and looks at, for example, the important issues of secondary stress, communication and triggers.  

It also has a short section on rewards in school – an area that can be especially difficult within a whole school context. Marshall suggests that there is a need for a conceptual shift towards a relational approach which focuses on encouraging expression and integration in order to help a child feel safe, nurtured and good about themselves. She also makes some important points about expectations of change and the resilience and tenacity needed by staff and carers to stick with children in their journey to overcome early adverse experience.

In summary, Nicola Marshall’s book is an easy to read and helpful contribution to the burgeoning resource for school staff and carers in their efforts to help children who have experienced trauma and disrupted attachment to flourish; and as its cover attests, will be a welcome addition to any school’s staff library.

Alison MacDonald
Principal Educational Psychologist  

8 Keys to Building Your Best Relationships by Daniel A. Hughes

As a relationship counsellor, this book has impressed in the way it distils the roots and processes that so often lead to difficulties and conflict in relationships. It also offers insight and hope for relationships that can be very secure and fulfilling. 

Dan Hughes has translated theoretical concepts making them accessible to a wide audience, including the latest science behind relationships, making it a tool for husbands, wives, friends, lovers, professionals, business people, and parents. It would also add greatly to personal and social development curriculum within schools.

Personally I love models that break things down into smaller steps which build cohesive, integrated meaning. Dan does this really well and has combined his experience and understanding with lots of short case study examples and scenarios to make it easy to appreciate the relevance and importance of 
what he contributes here. As a reader already familiar with attachment theory I found the description of attachment styles much more easily understood and applicable to everyday life. 

Chapter and Key no 1 – Learn Why Attachment Matters lays out clearly the authority and standing of attachment theory, it’s usefulness and ultimately links the patterns of relating found in both children and adults to the behaviour that, when explained so insightfully, makes so much sense.

Key No 2 is - Know your Autobiography and be willing to rewrite it. In this chapter he leads the reader through 10 themes that help establish a stronger sense of who we are and the life factors that have contributed to it. Dan explains how re-experiencing the past can give new meaning and alter the influence these have on our present lives. A conclusion drawn is “….if you’ve been able to make sense of the events in your life – and the nature of your most influential relationships – and then develop a story that is organised and interwoven with different elements, you tend to be in the best position to develop healthy relationships.”

In Key no 3 the important areas of Brain and Biology are explored with reference to prominent researchers. Dan manages to craft explanations which make understanding concepts such as interpersonal neurobiology and social engagement remarkably easy. He gives everyday, credible examples to highlight his ideas which allow the reader to get a felt sense of what he attempts to explain.  It is becoming more and more accepted that neuroscience underpins attachment, and therefore relationships are a part of brain function. A key part of this chapter has to be a summary explanation of Dan’s signature PACE approach using Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy, with poignant examples to support and lay a foundation for how this can and does work in supporting anyone experiencing relationship difficulties.

Key no 4 looks at Building your Reflective Capacity. Here you are invited to consider a range of questions designed to cultivate a conscious presence within relationships. What do relationships mean to me? What am I like in relationships? How do I reflect on others? These questions drill down into more specific questions which tease out what we might be looking for and expecting from our relationships. These questions are designed to increase our awareness of both what we might look for and what we ourselves bring to our relationships.

Key number 5 starts with an example of a young female professional who had difficulties managing her emotions within friendship. This introduces the reader to an interesting chapter called – Build Your Emotional Competence. Here again we get a chance to consider “the mind” and how neuroscience has brought greater understanding of emotions and the complexities of brain function. Dan goes on to explain the wider body systems including the links between our heart and gut which all play a part in felt experience. I found the differentiation between Shame and Guilt useful with great insights into how and why these emotions become established within our emotional self through our early experiences. Looking at how relationships develop provides a helpful way of considering the tensions which ebb and flow in relationships around conflicting emotions and the common causes that lie beneath. Practical exercises support the building of the three characteristics of emotional competence – Knowing what you feel, communicating your feelings and managing your feelings. 

To Master Effective Communication is Key number 6 which looks at reciprocity within the context of taking turns in communication. I like the way Dan describes the pre-requisites of effective communication as an ability to listen and more importantly the ability to stay open and engaged, avoiding defensiveness. This is again well illustrated by examples that help the reader appreciate the different patterns of communication that emerge as relationships grow and change. Developing capacities like saying what you mean and asking for what you want are considered to highlight some subtleties of more effective communication. I love the way the reader is invited to consider the influence of non verbal communication which so often leads to misunderstanding and conflict. Our voice and our physiology often let us down and the examples offered help to understand how this can lead to conflict but also be a very effective part on the solution.

In addressing the reparative work Key No 7 is aptly titled – Tinker and Repair. Accepting that even the healthiest of relationships have problems, and as human beings we will all make mistakes at some point, this chapter looks at what we do, and indeed how we might deal better, when problems arise. The reassurance given around mistakes helps the reader feel OK about personal challenges and experiences.  “People in relationships need to be able to repair whatever conflicts emerge if the relationships are to become truly meaningful and lasting.” Dan goes onto to point out that “Avoiding conflicts leads to a more polite but superficial relationship,” going on to explain what he feels are the fundamental points about relationship tinkering and repair. These are headlined as – Decide if the relationships is more important than the conflict, Remember the importance of the relationship, Remember that assigning blame is counterproductive, Don’t deny or avoid: Address the conflict, Don’t endlessly replay conflict, Remember that behaviour has more than one meaning, Address one conflict at a time and finally Mistakes happen: Say your sorry. Period. In summary our ability to tinker and repair is enhanced when our focus moves towards the opportunity to strengthen our relationships rather than to any risk to its durability when we experience conflicts.

The final Key and Chapter is titled Balance Autonomy with Intimacy. An autonomous attachment, as explained in previous chapters, provides both the safety and satisfaction that promotes balance in relationships. However, to feel fulfilled across your life, that wider awareness needs to reflect that “You are not a passive recipient of your life; you are active in creating it.” All of the work from the previous Keys comes together here to illustrate how knowing yourself and the impact of your story provides the platform for meaning and understanding which grows awareness. The example given in this chapter highlights how relationship difficulties develop. The autonomy which was a factor in the partner’s attraction is readily given up changing the rhythm and dynamics of the relationship beginning a cycle of dependency pushing the other away. The moral of this is that no person can be the source of another’s happiness. It is in the sharing of the uniqueness of two autonomous individuals that rich and fulfilling relationships thrive. This does not mean other relationships can’t last or don’t work but it highlights clearly that they will not be deep and fulfilling. 

In pulling the collection of 8 Keys together Dan has provided a valuable tool for building and maintaining balance in autonomy and intimacy within relationships. In claiming that “Your past relationships do not have to dictate your future relationships”, strategies are offered to increase the meaning of relationships in your life and exercises to help you establish how you may have contributed to past relationships and where you have made relationships difficult. A framework is offered for starting a journal, recording important features of yourself which can be used to promote and preserve your autonomy while allowing space for important relationships to develop and grow. This is further developed with a longer term use of a journal being used to compare and guide us towards sustainable healthy relationships. In the final paragraph Dan reminds us of the importance of being Playful, Accepting, Curious and Empathic to keep us on track with both our relationship with our self and our relationships with others. I thoroughly recommend this book.

Kevin Denvir
Relationship Counsellor

'Facilitating Meaningful Contact in Adoption and Fostering' by Louis Sydney and Elsie Price.

This is the first book I’ve read that tackles the issues involved in contact between adopted and foster children and their birth family. It considers the various forms of contact from direct contact, social media contact to occasional letterbox contact and even considers the impact on children where contact is not possible. It looks at the impact of contact on babies who are in foster care and who are involved in travelling to and from contact.  

The book starts with a consideration of the nature of contact today and in particular explores contact in the context of the, often, traumatic nature of children’s experiences prior to being accommodated. It looks at the neurological impact of early trauma and its impact on children’s ability to form attachments. The book stresses the importance of looking at contact in the context of children’s history and the way contact might impact children’s current attachment patterns and ways of managing. The authors are clear that contact should reflect children’s needs and be seen as an opportunity to help children repair from the impact of early traumatic experiences. The book’s use of case examples brings the points the authors want to emphasise alive; they demonstrate, in a practical way, how their views on contact can be put into practice.

Chapter two provides a clear explanation of the rationale for facilitating contact and clearly outlines how to prepare for and support such contact. This, for me, is essential reading for professionals considering how to manage contact in a way that is therapeutic for children. 

The book goes on to consider the impact of contact for babies and toddlers and invites readers to consider what contact does to babies and toddlers in terms of their attachments and ability to trust. The book goes on to consider ‘goodbye contact’ for children who are moving from temporary to permanent care. Given the potential for future contact through, for example, social media the authors suggest that the ‘goodbye contact’ should be renamed ‘goodbye for now contact’.

The book considers not only contact between children and their birth parents but also contact between siblings who are not living together. It considers the impact when children have different experiences; for example when children experience a disrupted placement. 

I would recommend this book as essential reading for all professionals working in the field of fostering and adoption. The book will also be helpful for foster carers and adopters who are involved in contact arrangements. It will help them consider the potential impact of contact arrangements and therefore assist parents in supporting their children. 

Christine Gordon
ADAPT Scotland

THESE REVIEWS ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE SCOTTISH ADOPTION WEBSITE AND ARE REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION

The Confusing World of Brothers, Sisters and Adoption By Regina. M .Kupecky
 
This simple to read workbook is the 3rd in a series of workbooks based on 'The Adoption Club' , a fictional support club for adopted children aged 5-11. The book is intended  not only for social workers, counsellors or therapists working with children in this age bracket, but also for adoptive parents.

Being an adoptive parent myself, I was glad to see that it stretches to no more than 45 pages, and  as it's a simple read,I was able get through a first reading quite easily over a cup of coffee while my youngsters attended a sports club after school. 

Mrs Bright, the counselor at the Adoption Club, is the main character and she takes you through the social histories of the different children who attend the club. A wide range of children from different backgrounds and experiences are described in child friendly language and while the individual characters may not exactly match the particular children you are working with, they are general enough to find common similarities with the type of child likely to be encountered in any school or club settings today.

Each  character description  provides a follow up  section where feelings can be explored and questions recorded. Such as feelings of separation and loss of a sibling,  being an only child  or inheriting a new brother or sister and the emotional conflict that this brings.  I found that these exercises provide good story starters for my children who find it difficult to begin expressing their thoughts openly and  who find the security of talking through the personality of a third person reassuring.

As second timer newly adoptive dads we had a giggle when we read about the ups downs of having a new wee brother join the family.  It was reassuring  to think that the exhibited behaviours we are witnessing at home are no more than the normal readjustment interactions between two boys getting used to having to share time and space, and that our boys, much like those boys depicted at the club, are going through all this too. Its not only just us!

This book provides an easy to read set of activities which you can choose to work through with your child or young person or just to pick up from when relationships need to be explored a little further.  Failing that you could always all just sit down on the couch and watch an episode of Modern Family on the TV together!
 
-An Adoptive Dad.

Review

'Attachment in Common Sense and Doodles: A Practical Guide' (2013)
by Miriam Silver

With so many books about Attachment already available, Miriam Silver had a hard task in writing something different!  She achieves this, apparently effortlessly, with this well-written and accessible book, based both on theory and on her considerable experience as a clinician.

The book starts off perhaps a little tentatively, with well-known explanations and diagrams of attachment theory and a reminder about the need for not only children, but also adults, to have a safe base.  The author gives a helpful chapter on “why attachment matters” and the impact of poor early care.  Where she starts to into her own, however, is in providing opportunities for self-reflection, through small exercises which are interspersed throughout the book.  These exercises encourage us to reflect on our own attachment patterns, those of the children we care for or work with and the reciprocal impact.

As you delve further into this gem of a book, you find many insights into the behaviour of children with attachment difficulties and their carers’ reactions.  For example, in looking at the possibility that a “blow out” may create familiarity for a child, the author also reminds carers to be aware of their own physiological response: you can’t contain a child’s feelings if you are feeling angry yourself. The book could have stopped here but Miriam Silver bravely addresses the tendency for professionals to label children who come with challenging presentations and encourages us to think widely about the possible combination of organic and acquired difficulties.  

The second half of the book looks at parenting styles and the core qualities of the therapeutic parent, including Dan Hughes’ PLACE (Playful, Loving, Acceptance, Curious, Empathic).  The author addresses the deep shame which many children with traumatic pasts carry about themselves, their triggers from the past and how to help them to change the story which they have about themselves. This is a book which draws you in!  The language is very accessible and the text is accompanied by “doodles” drawn by Teg Landsell, which are very helpful.  

The book is intended for carers or professionals who are dealing with children who have been placed away from their birth parents after early trauma, neglect or abuse.  Miriam Silver’s objective was “provide a fresh approach… in an accessible form”.  In this she succeeds admirably and I commend this book wholeheartedly to foster carers, adoptive parents and to those working with them. 

*****  star rating   
Heather M Drysdale 
Systemic Psychotherapist/Adoption and Fostering Consultant

 Review

 ‘Holding on and hanging in’ (2010) by Lorna Miles 

I have just discovered this wonderful book by Lorna Miles, therapeutic foster carer. Interlaced with both the understanding and therapeutic PACE parenting (Dan Hughes model) of Wayne – a severely traumatised nine year old – it is wise, practical, poignant and playful.  

Lorna Miles takes the reader with her on her family’s  journey to support Wayne to start to grow and heal, and in telling the story she gives an honest account of the many challenges, frustrations, trials and tribulations.  

The book packs a punch with respect to the importance of the team around the family (social work, health and education) working together with a shared understand and a high level of support available.   

This is a great book for parents, carers and professionals.  As Dan Hughes says: 
‘This one story brings the theories, research, professional conferences and training to life.  And makes all the effort worthwhile’ 

Edwina Grant
Scottish Attachment in Action Committee Member
DDP Practitioner, Trainer & Consultant