Healing Together Testimonial
It has been a wonderful experience working with the team at Innovating Minds to find out about the Healing Together domestic abuse programme and to begin rolling out the programme in schools in Camden.
Background
We first led a pilot project in 2021, when Healing Together was delivered to children who had experienced domestic abuse in Camden, by the Educational Psychology and Early Help team. Additional funding was made available so Healing Together training could be offered to every school in Camden.
The aim: for each school to have their own dedicated and accredited Healing Together practitioner, available to offer first hand therapeutic support to children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse. This is the project we are currently embarking on!
Evidence base
To my mind, pivotal aspects of the Healing Together programme are that it is trauma informed and evidence based. The fact that it is grounded in neuroscience and attachment theories means it truly considers how the child receives the information, without re-traumatising them. The evidence and data shows the positive impact for children their emotional literacy skills, knowledge of feelings and emotions, how settled they are in class and school and many other areas. Once children can understand what is happening in their bodies, they can begin to use and practice ways to feel calmer. This is fundamental to the Healing Together programme and the aims of our own Camden trauma-informed practice (TIPIC) project and makes the programme so meaningful and relevant for the children it’s being delivered to.
Collaborative working
Unfortunately we are far from eradicating the deep rooted problem of domestic abuse, however we can use our knowledge and understanding of the impact to help children in a therapeutic way, when they have been through this trauma. This is exactly what Innovating Minds offer and our personalised journey in Camden has been possible because of the flexibility and dedication of the Healing Together team working together with our team in Camden so closely on the project. The fact we can now offer Healing Together cross-borough means children and young people can access evidence based domestic abuse support in a safe place with trusted adult they already have a meaningful relationship with. The support and care of the Healing Together team has been invaluable.
Thank you Lisa, Deborah, Asha, Jane and all of your colleagues for working so closely with us in Camden. I have no doubt the impact of this project will be far reaching in all the right ways for children and young people, their parents and carers both now and in their futures.
Dr Amy Stanton | Educational Psychologist | London Borough of Camden
For more information about our Healing Together Programme or training to be a facilitator, visit the website here:
https://www.healing-together.co.uk/why-become-a-facilitator