Meeting of Minds
Using the Tavistock Model of Child Observation and Reflective Group Work in the Advanced Training of Foster Carers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11940650 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leslie Ironside (Centre for Emotional Development, Brighton, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 29-42 |
| Publication date | 2012-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Adoption & Fostering (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0308-5759 • E-ISSN: 1740-469X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/030857591203600204 |
| OpenAlex | W2109590609 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 7 |
The task for foster carers is complex and emotionally demanding on many levels. A crucial aspect of maintaining a successful placement is that carers have developed the metacognitive skills for thinking about the foster child's mind, to mentalise and resist their own impulses to react ‘unthinkingly’ in the face of sometimes extreme provocation. Leslie Ironside describes a training for foster carers, rooted in clinical practice, which promotes this reflective state of mind. The effectiveness of this training is enhanced by group work and is therefore also efficient in the use of a child mental health clinician's time. This article describes the theoretical underpinning of the training and uses a case example to illustrate how experiential learning in a group can powerfully bring the practical and psychological challenges of the fostering task into the reflective space. The cohesion and mutual trust within the group are shown to be of critical importance for enabling personal exploration. The model is potentially replicable in any local area where there is the availability of suitably experienced child mental health professionals
Cognition · Experiential learning · Group work · Mental health · Metacognition · Pedagogy · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Reflective Practice · Task (project management · Applied Psychology · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
The evolving use of Mentalization informed thinking with the ‘Care Team’ in the Irish statutory child protection system
What do foster families and social workers think about children’s contact with birth parents? A focus group analysis
Is contact with birth parents beneficial to children in non-kinship foster care? A scoping review of the evidence
The impact of complex and unwanted feelings evoked in foster carers by traumatised children in long-term placements
Retaining foster carers during challenging times
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,63 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2022 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |