Caryn Onions Group
Working in a highly charged emotional setting with traumatised children can be stressful. Taking an organisational approach to processing feelings was central to this research. The psychodynamic approach of the Mulberry Bush was found to be conceptually sophisticated, providing consistent support. Staff understood the model and its value for their work. Keywords: Residential care; residential treatment; Mulberry Bush; trauma-informed; reflective practice; lived experience of staff
Therapeutic residential childcare faces a unique set of challenges. Staff wellbeing is crucial to enable them to be emotionally available and attuned to the children's emotional needs. Having an effective reflective culture is vital so that staff are able to carry out their work within a setting genuinely aware of the complexities of the work.
When working with traumatised children, staff need regular time together to reflect not only on the task at hand but on its impact on them as individuals and as a team. Working in high emotional settings can leave staff with strong feelings which may or may not originate in them, and working together as team can help sort this out. This can be beneficial to staff wellbeing and importantly to their therapeutic effectiveness.
Reflective Practice Provision at the Mulberry Bush School, Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 40:4, 517-536, DOI: 10.1080/0886571X.2023.2205186
