Supporting Children and Young People with Complex Needs: On The Edge (Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy)

This book looks at therapeutic work with children and young people in ways which are distinct from pervasive mainstream conversations. Instead of being an intervention manual, this book focusses on the thought processes which practitioners in education and care settings undertake using vignettes and case studies. The book examines practice-related dilemmas as frequently from the perspective of the practitioner as the child, young person or their family. As such, it reflects the way in which the Mulberry Bush - an award-winning 75-year-old leading charity – functions, by outlining its psychodynamic, reflective and collaborative approach. Often the voice of practitioners (residential care staff, teachers and teaching assistants) is absent from books like this, despite being the individuals working directly with the children and families and whose experience are at the core, and so this title offers an innovative corrective.

Caryn Onions worked at the Mulberry Bush, UK, initially as Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and latterly as Head of Research / Deputy CEO. She has contributed to research on therapeutic education and residential care. Caryn has written and spoken widely about her clinical interests which also include parent-infant psychotherapy.

Heather Price is a Senior Lecturer at the Open University, UK, and a psychodynamic individual and couple psychotherapist. She has led research projects in collaboration with the Mulberry Bush looking at its milieu therapy, reflective practice provision for staff, and placement and post-placement experiences of the organisation’s residential care leavers.

Dave Roberts is the Director of Training and Development / Deputy CEO at the Mulberry Bush, UK, where he has worked for over 25 years. His focus is developing practice-based models of staff training and professionalising the childcare workforce. He formally led the award-winning Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Work with Children.