Funded programme uses therapy and peer mentoring to help parents and young people affected by family challenges.
Tavistock Relationships, the internationally renowned charity providing couple therapy, has been funded by BBC Children in Need to deliver therapeutic support to parents involved in court-based disputes, as well as a peer mentoring programme promoting positive mental health for their children.
Working with one of the largest and longest running children’s funds in the UK, the project aims to help improve outcomes for children, via a combination of these two elements.
The therapeutic element – delivered by Tavistock Relationships at its centre in London - will involve providing the charity’s own mentalisation therapy, an approach already successfully deployed in a number of local authorities across England.
This mentalisation-based couple therapy for separated parents aims to help parents think about the possible impact of their conflict in court on their children – and the impact of their conflict on their parenting.
Parents will then be offered the opportunity for an additional three, monthly follow-up sessions if this is deemed helpful by all parties.
The second element, the peer mentoring programme, will be a six to eight week programme covering a variety of aspects of young people’s lives and relationships. This programme will be delivered to small groups of young people aged 11-18 years by Fitzrovia Youth in Action at its centre in Warren Street, London.
The programme explores themes that have been linked to promoting positive mental health which have been co-produced by young people. The core topics that are commonly explored include mental health, relationships, self-esteem and resilience.
Richard Meier, Policy and Projects Manager at Tavistock Relationships, explains:
“Securing funding from Children in Need to undertake this therapy and peer monitoring work with parents and their children is a landmark moment for us. Although our work has always had a major focus on children and families, up till now our clinical work has been primarily with parents.
“Being funded to work with not only children but also their parents - by a funder whose focus is on improving the lives of children - is a significant achievement, we believe. It shows that the case we have long been making – that therapeutic work with parents, alongside work with children, is key to improving the mental health and developmental outcomes of children affected by parental conflict - is increasingly being recognised as having merit.
“We applaud Children in Need for recognising the link between conflict between parents and the distress experienced by children, and can’t wait to start the work.”
For more information about Tavistock Relationships services, visit www.tavistockrelationships.org or call 020 7380 8288.
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Notes to Editors
Established in 1948, Tavistock Relationships is a registered charity internationally renowned for delivering and developing advanced practice, training and research in therapeutic and psycho-educational approaches to support couples.
Working from two London bases (Hallam Street and New Street) as well as operating a nationally available online service, Tavistock Relationships has 120 professionals providing an effective and highly-regarded form of couples’ counselling and psychotherapy.
Last year (2018-2019), Tavistock Relationships held 20,734 therapy sessions, helping thousands of people with their relationships.
www.TavistockRelationhips.org
