This week I posted three more videos drawn from my experience in child and family psychology practice, with a major focus in child protection and out-of-home care, across the last twenty eight years. You will find each video, below. If you like them, please do not hesitate to hit the like tab and even subscribe to my channel as this helps get my knowledge shared more widely.

Needs Trump Reason

This is one of my favourite sayings when helping people to better understand why children and young people approach life and relationships in the way that they do. Specifically, I discuss the influence of needs over goal-directed behaviour. I make the point that when you are managing complex and challenging behaviour exhibited by a child or young person, needs trump reason. The video is intended to be of most interest to those who interact with children and young people who are recovering from a tough start to life in care and professional roles, and their caregivers.

Avoiding Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

In this video, I indicate that children and young people who are recovering from a tough start to life typically approach life and relationships under the influence of negative beliefs about themself, others, and their world. In turn, this usually leads to them feeling bad, and acting bad. When we admonish them for their behaviour, we run the risk of reinforcing their belief that they are bad and unlovable, and perpetuating the cycle of negative feelings and behaviour. If we want these children and young people to approach life and relationships in a different way, we need to interact with them a way that avoids reinforcing, and rather challenges, their internal narrative.

Therapeutic Care is an Enrichment Process

In this video, I highlight how our needs are much the same, whether we are 1 year of age, or 101. What changes is how it is presented and responded to. Children and young people who are recovering from a tough start to life are often preoccupied with needs that were met inconsistently or inadequately during the developmental period. Their behaviour often reflects their preoccupations. If we want to respond therapeutically to their preoccupied behaviour, we must provide an enriched response to the need.