WHAT’S NEW?
NEW ASSESSMENT TOOL MORE EFFECTIVELY MEASURES THERAPY SUPPORT TO
ADOPTIVE FAMILIES Chroma, a UK-based arts therapies provider, is implementing a new assessment tool to support adoptive families transition into their new lives together and ensure their needs are being met.
Current assessment tools tend to be progress and data led. To change the narrative, the new tool focuses on the needs of the clients, obtaining more qualitative data on the emotional experiences of the whole family. This will help to understand the dynamics of the family better, with the aim of recommending individual arts therapy plans for the family.
Thorough needs-based assessments allow families to feel seen and heard as well as enhance future treatment plans, supporting higher levels of success and positive experiences of therapy for adoptive families.
Rachel Swanick, Senior Clinical Therapist & Training lead at Chroma, said: “Screening tools for adoption require both quantitative and qualitative data. You need numbers but also the feelings behind those. With a full assessment, you acknowledge the trauma, grief and loss that the family have gone through to get to this point.
“As a result, we can see attachment styles and strategies within the family, resilience levels, parenting capacity, how well the child is doing in school and determine how past trauma is affecting them in the present.
“Aſter all, the issue is not the child coming into a new home and adapting, it is how the family as a group adapt to that new environment and circumstances.
Adoptive parents and children are more likely to carry high levels of unresolved trauma. Farnfield (2019) found that unresolved trauma – oſten caused by the grief and loss of infertility or neglect in adopted children – will have the greatest impact in interpersonal relationships, and oſten be the root of crisis in the family. By helping each family member to acknowledge and heal their trauma, relationships become more positive, and the family feel more attached and resilient.
Rachel added: “Implementing concise, valid assessment tools prior to therapy provides vital information on areas of concern, focuses our therapy work and increases the chance of positive outcomes. Inclusion of all family members is important to support useful evaluations and effective treatment plans based on themes of compassion, curiosity, and hope.
“Using this new assessment will create clearer individual goals, equip families with a great sense of support and influence positive change within their household. It will also create better resilience in parent-child and family relationships, and overall - provide improved support to adoptive families adjusting to life with a new, exciting dynamic.”
Chroma is also participating in the Adoption Support Fund pilot assessments that aim to measure the impact of therapy in adoptive work.
https://wearechroma.com
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www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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