It sounds to trite to say 2014 has been a year of highs and lows, but nevertheless it’s true. If I’ve learnt anything it’s the importance of the long view. In our house the short view is too inconsistent to risk hanging any sense progress or otherwise on, swinging as it does from cautious optimism …
My second book ‘The Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting‘ was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers this week. It took twelve years to produce; one year of writing and eleven years of research. Adoptive parenting of children who have experienced loss and often neglect and abuse as well, is not like normal, average, everyday parenting. It …
Frankly I get pissed off with being told that developmental trauma isn’t a real thing. Yesterday 250 people who live with the everyday realities of trauma in children gathered for the Adoption UK 2014 conference to listen to Dr Bruce Perry speak. Not once were we told to put more structure in place, or to …
Dr Bruce Perry speaks at the Adoption UK Conference 2014 Read More »
This weekend we headed off to the fells and tried a version of geo-caching, called surprise child-caching. It goes something like this; plan walk, look forward to walk and therapeutic nature of ‘the outdoors’, make lunch, park car, head off into remoteness, see not another single other person, at most remote point avoid conflict with …
As far as out-of-body experiences go, finding oneself in a therapy session with one’s son examining the forceful use of the words ‘c**t’ and ‘w****r’ is right up there with the trippiest. Almost exactly two incredibly testing years later I find myself in the ballroom of the Grosvenor Hotel in London air-kissing Claudia Winkleman and …
A Bizarre and Brilliant Night at the PPA Awards 2014 Read More »
At this time of year the garden runs away from me a bit, and so does life. Last night I dreamt of bindweed, miles of it, coming up everywhere, winding its windy way through everything; creeping, dragging, strangling. I woke up feeling stifled. There was a hint of Freud about it all. When my head …
Gardening professionally by day and returning home to a stormy home did not do much for my enthusiasm for our garden. Throw in a frozen shoulder, and then another and it became overgrown, not romantically but embarrassingly overgrown. People started to say ‘cobbler’s children’ (how rude). I felt like I’d lost an important part of …
It’s been lucky 13 for me as this year has been stuffed with highlights like no other. Personally it has been a relief to see some particularly testing trauma behaviours fading into the background proving that all that therapeutic parenting really was worth it. Professionally, it’s been the year of my life. These were the …
I have seen Dan Hughes Ph.D speak on many occasions. I have read his books, watched his DVDs, listened to his CDs and been coached by his disciples. My book contains an acknowledgement to him because without his work I don’t know where my family would be (actually I think I do, but let’s not …
Adoption UK Conference: Still Learning from Dr Dan Hughes Read More »
Two years ago I left a comment under an article about adoption on the website of the online Social Work magazine Community Care. I can’t remember what angle the article took but it must have bugged me because I rarely leave comments under articles. In response to my comment came an email from the Children’s …
And the winner of the BSME Business Columnist of the Year is … Read More »
