Therapeutic Communities for Children and Young People

Edited by Adrian Ward, Kajetan Kasinski, Jane Pooley and Alan Worthington.
Jessica Kingsley
ISBN 1843100967
£15.95

Written by practitioners, managers, trainers, educators and consultants, this book is about therapeutic communities for traumatised young people in the UK. The first section describes the historical development of therapeutic communities and the theory underpinning the practice which is used to make sense of children’s treatment, management and organisation.

The second section looks at the theory in practice. This includes making therapeutic use of opportunities in everyday life, the provision of restorative special experiences and the importance of attachment relationships.

The third section looks at management and development, including leadership, consultation and supervision, staff development and training, and research. Fittingly, the final section considers the future and application of the approach in other settings.

The book is full of valuable insights for those working with traumatised children. It clearly states the value of working with young people in residential groups and the immense opportunity for recovery that this can provide.

Patrick Tomlinson is director of practice, SACCS.