Pilot programme

Our pilot programme consists of consultation, two core knowledge modules, and a choice of Therapeutic Storywriting Interventions.

Core knowledge modules

1 Perspectives on behaviour

  • Duration: One day
  • Content: Comparing and contrasting behaviourist, cognitive and therapeutic perspectives on behaviour; understanding and supporting pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties; how these theoretical perspectives can inform your school’s behaviour policy
  • Target audience: 2 or 3 members of SMT from each school
  • Location: A venue near your school.

2 Attachment, neuroscience and learning

  • Duration: One day
  • Content: Secure and insecure patterns of attachment; neuroscience and the relationship between emotional and cognitive development; implications of attachment patterns for learning in school; use of stories to support positive attachment and emotional literacy
  • Target audience: 2 or 3 members of SMT from each school
  • Location: A venue near your school.

Therapeutic storywriting interventions

Setting up Therapeutic Storywriting Groups (Waters model)

  • Duration: Three days
  • Content: Understanding the emotional significance of story metaphor; active listening skills in storywork; subpersonality theory and its application to therapeutic storywriting; delivering and evaluating the Therapeutic Storywriting intervention
  • Target audience: SENCOs + SEN teachers, HLTAs, learning mentors or school counsellors supporting pupils with BESDs at KS 2 & 3
  • Location: A venue near your school
  • School-based intervention: 10 weeks, I hour per week, 4 – 6 pupils in each group.

Story Links: working with parents of pupils at risk of exclusion (Waters model)

  • Duration: Three days
  • Content: Attachment theory and its implications for learning; establishing emotionally containing environments for parents and pupils; understanding the emotional significance of story metaphor; active listening skills; setting up, delivering and evaluating the Story Links intervention
  • Target audience: SENCOs + SEN teachers, Learning Mentors, School counsellors or Family Link workers supporting parents & pupils with BESDs at KS 1& 2
  • Location: A venue near your school
  • School-based intervention: 10 weeks, ½ hour per week with individual pupil & parent + ½ hour follow-up work for professional leading the session. A TA to attend the session and work with the pupil for 2 x 20 min in week.

Consultancy

  • Duration: 1 hour pre- and 1 hour post- pilot programme
  • Content: Whole schools issues relating to emotional wellbeing and BESDs.
  • Target audience: Headteacher and SMT
  • Location: At your school.

Lead trainer

The training and consultancy programme will be led by Dr. Trisha Waters, the training consultant & project manager for the YoungMinds in Schools programme. Originally an SEN teacher and child therapist in London, Trisha was previously Senior Lecturer in SEN at the University of Chichester.

Trisha has led research and development projects for the DfE, the South-east Region SEN partnership, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Training and Development Agency for Schools  and the University of Chichester. She is the author of Therapeutic Storywriting and has written widely on SEN and Inclusion. 

Trisha will be supported by other YoungMinds in Schools trainers.

Evidence base for interventions used in pilot programme

Full evaluation report of Story Links intervention (2010) (pdf)
An evaluation of the impact of Story Links on the engagement of parents’ on the learning of pupils at risk of exclusion.

Summary of TDA evaluation of Story Links intervention (2009) (pdf)
An evaluation of the impact of Story Links on the engagement of parents’ on the learning of pupils at risk of exclusion.

Writing Stories with Feeling (2004) (pdf)
An evaluation of the impact of Therapeutic Storywriting groups on pupils’ learning.

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