Child and adult assessments; Non-directive Play Therapy assessment of children's attachment; emotional and developmental needs; Filial Therapy; Geraldine Thomas play therapist

Assessments

Geraldine is qualified to undertake the following assessments:

Non-directive Play Therapy assessment of children's attachment, emotional and developmental needs

The therapeutic method of using non-directive Play Therapy as a means of assessing the child's attachment needs, wishes and feelings and the likely effects of any changes in the child's circumstances on the child's psychological well being, is based on a child-centred framework for working with children. Non-directive Play Therapy sessions for assessment purposes, relies on the premise that, play rather than verbal exchanges, are a prime means of communication in children. The child's communications through play are understood and evaluated in the context of the children's personality and developmental history and in comparison with expected developmentally appropriate child play communications.

Assessment of Adult Attachment Style
The Attachment Style Intervie

The Attachment Style Interview assesses characteristics of adults in terms of the quality of their close relationships, social support and security of attachment style. Its transparent method of questioning and scoring assesses specific support contexts, the quality of close relationships and general relating ability. This provides a categorisation of the way in which the adult’s behaviour is guided by positive or negative attitudes leading to secure or insecure relating style.

The resulting profile determines which Attachment style best characterises the individual (e.g. Secure, Enmeshed, Fearful, Angry – dismissive or Withdrawn), but also the extent to which a person is Markedly, Moderately or Mildly Insecure. This is important given the evidence that Mildly Insecure and Clearly Secure styles carry less risk of mental health problems.

Assessing attachment style is particularly useful in adoption, and fostering, kinship care and child care contexts and is increasingly used to identify risk and resilience factors in carers committed to parenting difficult to place children with challenging behaviours. Awareness of adult attachment style can also inform clinical work in relation to parenting risks, risks for depression and for domestic violence. Attachment behaviour characterises human beings throughout life. Patterns established in childhood tend to structure the quality of later bonds in adolescent and adult relationships. Attachment style influences a range of functioning – e.g. the ability to access support, to make friends, make intimate relationships and future parenting.