We recently visited Kids Inspire with the aim of capturing an interview with Sue Bell OBE, their wonderful Chief Executive & Clinical Director. While we were there, we took advantage of the visit to hear some success stories concerning young people the charity is supporting through the VVU funded Healing Connections programme.
Healing Connections is a whole family therapeutic support programme, aimed at supporting whole families to resolve or work through an issue together, rather than just supporting an individual.
A young person referred into the programme has been receiving sessions of music therapy. Music therapy gives them the means of expression through non-verbal communication – this can also be done through using play and the creative arts.
As the therapy progressed so did the trust between the young person and therapist and the young person was able to explore and develop their understanding of themselves, their feelings, and behaviours. As their understanding of the therapeutic space developed, they were increasingly able to reflect on past difficulties and identify how they might approach future challenges differently.
At the end of the sessions the young person reported a better understanding of themselves and better sense of self-esteem. They will continue to be supported by Kids Inspire through their mentoring programme. The young person’s family have also found the support of Kids Inspire invaluable, helping them to understand and proactively support their young person.
