Parenting our teens

 

Adolescence can be hard for any child, but it can be particularly challenging for adopted and care experienced young people with experience of trauma. It is a difficult period for any parent to handle but it can be even more confusing for adopted and care experienced teenagers who have experiened trauma in their early lives.

Delivered over the course of 7 x 2 hour sessions on Monday evenings 7pm - 9pm from 13th January to 3rd March.

Please note there is no session on 17th February.

Led by Mary, a highly experienced adoptive parent and trainer, this course will provide you with interactive sessions that connect you with parents and carers also parenting adopted or care experienced teens.

During the course, you will:

• Learn about the changes in your child’s body and brain in order to be able to offer the most appropriate support.
• Develop skills to interpret non-verbal communication as well as understand the theory of sensory integration.
• Learn about the impact of parenting a traumatised child, and the support mechanisms that you can access as a parent.
• Understand the development of your child’s self-esteem through success in education and the possibility of accessing therapy.
• Consider whether any current contact with birth family members is supportive or detrimental to your child at this point in their lives.

 

"Being able to discuss issues in a safe space with other parents who have experienced the same situations has been very helpful. It is so rare to have a professional trainer who has also had similar experiences and understands our issues. It makes the training so credible and meaningful."

 

"A very inclusive format, extremely informative and thought provoking and well delivered content."

 

"The training has been excellent. Mary has been extremely helpful and informative. She understands the challenges we face and shows care and empathy."

 

"Completing this course has given me the time and space to reflect on my parenting and my child's needs and reframe my thinking. It has encouraged me to look into the support available for my child through the adoption agency and school, and begin to investigate ways to further support my child. It has raised my awareness of the changes that are to come and the methods we can use to guide our children and ourselves in the journey ahead."

 

Session One: Expectations, realities and loss

Session Two: Developmental trauma

Session Three: Claiming and belonging

Session Four: Parenting from the inside out

Session Five: Rewiring

Session Six: Developing positive self-esttem and sense of identity

Session Seven: Re-cap and ongoing support networks

 

Mary Baldock is a working mum to an adopted son with a diagnosis of Developmental Trauma, Attachment Disorder, ADHD and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. He has an EHCP in place and now attends mainstream college (previously he was at a special school).
Mary is now part of the Psychology and Therapy Hub (PATH) team at Adoption UK and is also a trainer. She is trained in the Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy (NPP) Framework for Working with Traumatised Children, as well as Non Violent Resistance techniques, Great Behaviour Breakdown work and PACE.
Mary is passionate about supporting other adopters to move forwards positively with their children and young people.

If you have any questions about this course, please email [email protected]

If you're an AUK member, don't forget to add your promo code at checkout for 20% off! The code can be found in 'Offers and discounts' in your members area.