Observing Adolescents with Attachment Difficulties in Educational Settings: A Tool for Identifying and Supporting Emotional and Social Difficulties in Young People Aged 11-16

Kim S. Golding · Mary Turner · Helen Worrall · Ann Cadman · Jennifer Roberts

Oct 2015 · Jessica Kingsley Publishers

About this ebook

This easy-to-use tool provides an observation checklist which enables staff to identify behavioural patterns in children with social and emotional difficulties, analyse the underlying emotional difficulties and establish what kind of help and support the children need.

Behavioural responses are categorised within clearly outlined topics, including:

* behaviour and relationship with peers
* attachment behaviours
* emotional state in the classroom
* attitude to attendance

Checklists and diagrams identify different 'styles' of relating, to help school staff to respond appropriately to the individual needs of each child. A range of handouts include activities designed to provide emotional support, to focus and regulate behaviour and enable the child to develop important social and emotional skills.

Suitable for use with children aged 11+, this tool will be an invaluable resource for teachers, teaching assistants, learning support staff, school counsellors and educational psychologists.

About the author

Kim S. Golding CBE, BSc, MSc, D. Clin. Psy. AFBPsS is a clinical psychologist who works in Worcestershire, England where she was influential in the founding of the Integrated Service for Looked After Children - a multi-agency, holistic service providing support for foster, adoptive and residential parents, schools and the range of professionals supporting children growing up in care or in adoptive families. Kim was trained and mentored by Dan Hughes in the use of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). She was formerly on the board of the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Institute supporting the use of DDP in Europe, USA and Canada. She accredits and trains professionals in the approach and has been invited to speak about this work internationally.

Mary Turner is a counsellor and psychotherapist. She has considerable experience working with grieving children and families in social service, hospital, hospice and bereavement service settings. She teaches on university palliative care courses.

Helen Worrall is a support teacher for ISL, with over ten years' experience teaching children with special needs.