Our services

The Smith Foundation has an extensive therapeutic offer. Staff across the foundation have had training to understand the impact of relational and developmental trauma on children’s development and a psychologically informed approach is used to understand children and young people’s needs.

The health, family and therapy team have staff trained in various modalities; including psychotherapy; EMDR; clinical psychology; systemic and family therapy; counselling; creative psychotherapies; speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and sensory integration.

Many of the team are trained in Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and use these principles within their work. The team offers individual, dyadic (parent/carer and child), family and group therapy.

Further information relating to some of the modalities is available below:

Dramatherapy
 

Dramatherapy is an active, embodied mode of Creative Psychotherapy that makes use of theatre and drama processes to help young people explore their external and internal worlds.  A Drama therapist may make use of objects, props, fabrics, masks, puppets, art making materials, games and a whole host of play processes to facilitate psychological well-being.  Stories and myths are also important to Dramatherapy as they offer a gateway into other worlds and different ways of being.  Dramatherapy can be very child centred and playful.  It is considered a safe form of psychological therapy as it is indirect and primarily works through distance and metaphor.

Music Therapy

 

Music therapy is a child-led, psychodynamic informed mode of therapy. A wide variety of instruments are available for shared improvisation, providing opportunities to explore and express feelings both verbally and non-verbally. Strong and painful feelings, which could otherwise be very destructive, can be safely expressed, supported and contained within music. Music-making can be cathartic, allowing a release of physical tension. With its use of pre-verbal, multi-sensory and cross-modal communication, music therapy can help clients deal with early childhood traumas and difficult attachment experiences, increase emotional understanding and empathy, and support the development of social skills such as turn-taking, listening, and body language awareness.  Music technology can also be incorporated into the work, meaning clients can mix, record and listen to their own music- this can increase opportunities for self-reflection, increase self-esteem and be an outlet for creative expression through rap and song writing genres.

 

Art Psychotherapy
 

Art Psychotherapy is a three-way process between the therapist, client and art making process. Art making acts as a safe mode of expression and communication, enabling children to explore and express their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The art making process can help someone who is unable to verbalise their feelings. The art making process can be playful and children may bring stories and metaphors into art therapy sessions, to help them safely explore their own lived experiences. Symbols within the artwork can also help expression of thoughts and feelings. Art making and play, within a safe therapeutic relationship, can be vital to helping children to process and make sense of early trauma and complex emotions.

Dance Movement Psychotherapy

 

Dance Movement Psychotherapy offers embodied, movement based therapeutic interventions that consider a child’s whole experience, including how they experience living in their body. Sessions give children the opportunity to explore how they think about themselves and their relationships, as well as emotional and non-verbal responses that may be hard to put into words. 

Group Sessions

 

Psychotherapy Groups
Psychotherapy groups are co-facilitated by two therapists of different modalities, creating combined arts-based therapy groups.  The sessions are intended to be playful, making use of image-making, musical instruments, drama games, movement and a whole host of play processes.  The work can be long term and focusses on relationship building, improving self-esteem and improving the boys’ ability to function more healthily in groups.


Skills Based Therapy Groups
Shorter term, skills-based groups focus on a particular need. Within these sessions, support staff from education are encouraged to be a part of the group process. The intent being that any progress that emerges from the group interactions can be developed further within children’s day to day life around school.

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing 

 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) uses eye movement and bi-lateral stimulation to help clients process traumatic memories. It is beneficial to those experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can also be adapted to work with complex trauma (multiple traumatic experiences). EMDR can work well for older adolescents and adults and can be adapted to use with younger children. It is an evidence-based treatment recognised by NICE.

Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)

Who we are
Our team of Speech and Language Therapists are highly experienced in the areas of:

Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH)
Neurodivergence including Autism, ADHD, Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), Dyslexia, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Stammering
Speech sound delays / disorders and phonological awareness
Eating, drinking and swallowing

What we do
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT), the speech and language therapists work directly with the students and their families as well as the staff teams supporting them. We aim to provide holistic comprehensive assessment, advice and support for staff and families centred around the student. We also offer a range of bespoke, evidence-based interventions as and when needed. We prioritise relationship-building to ensure the best intervention outcomes for all students, helping them become the best they can be.

Beyond our doorstep
Our Speech and Language Therapy team works in partnership with the Specialist Provision Cluster as part of the Language, Literacy and Communication group and Behaviour Surgeries. We have co-authored training with Occupational Therapy and Psychotherapy on the Window of Tolerance and Trauma-Informed Practice, and delivered this at the Calderdale Association of Secondary Headteachers (CASH) conference, our own Engage conference and a local mainstream primary school. We have also developed and delivered training on reframing language for mentally healthy outcomes and dyslexia. Our therapists have published work including a programme for developing higher level language skills, a book to support users of a switch-based communication aid, and author credit on an academic journal paper.

Family Based Therapies & Support

 

Dyadic Developmental Practice
DDP (Dyadic Developmental Practice) is a therapy approach and model for practice that uses attachment and developmental trauma theory to help children and families with their relationships. The approach is family-based and involves the child and their parent, carer or other significant adult.

 
Systemic Family Therapy
Recognising the importance of supporting the network around the student, systemic family therapy offers therapeutic support to parents and carers. By helping parents and carers to think about how the family fits together, the team can help facilitate ways of better understanding one another and the ways they communicate with each other. We know that the families connected to the school are often manging greater complexities and challenges than most. We offer a non-judgemental space where we understand that families are doing the best they can at any given point in time.  Our family therapist also offers interventions based on Theraplay and Non-Violent Resistance.

 
Family Counselling
Counselling is also available to parents or carers, to talk about and explore their worries, concerns and experiences. Person Centred counselling is a humanistic approach encouraging parents and carers to bring their own issues to sessions. Counselling is person led, offering a non-judgmental safe space, empathic understanding, and guidance. Sessions support parents and carers to explore their own issues, feelings, beliefs, behaviours, and worldview. This can help clients to become more self-aware, achieve greater independence, and to discover personal solutions to their problems. 

Clinical Psychology
The therapy team at The Smith Foundation are also supported by the expertise of two consultant Clinical Psychologists. Staff are able to think about the children who present with more complex mental health issues with the Psychologist, gain advice and create treatment plans. Our psychologists can also offer parent support and advice.