Sue Bell, OBE & Dr. Laine Jäderberg present
Working with Children, Young People & Families - The Somatic VPT Approach
Sue Bell, OBE
Dr. Laine Jäderberg
About the Somatic VPT approach
The VPT (The Vital Parenting Tasks) is an integrative model to support people who work with children and young people, where work with parents is also considered helpful. It is a coherent, easy to use framework for assessment, stand-alone treatment, and/or integration into multidisciplinary treatment packages. The model focuses on parental capacity and the parent-child relationship through the lens of parenting ‘tasks,’ and uses methods such as letter-writing, home visits and observation along with creative, reflexive work and cross-modal attunement.
Somatic work with children takes the principles of Somatic Experiencing, Neuroaffective touch, playfulness, attunement, creativity and empathy to support self and co-regulation. The integration of the two approaches (The Somatic VPT Approach) leads to a trauma-informed, attachment based, model for the treatment of developmental trauma.
This approach is currently being used in the following settings/ presentations:
Child and adolescent general psychotherapy and counselling (eg anxiety, depression)
Specialist adoption support
Education settings, including SENCOs and pastoral care
Children and young people not living with their biological parents
Parenting couples
Parental alienation
Community groups
Residential therapeutic settings
Complex developmental trauma (including neglect and abuse)
Eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm
Medical Trauma
Children and young people with psychosomatic presentations
About the Workshop
This new training opportunity is delivered over three days (Friday to Sunday) and facilitated by Sue Bell, OBE, and Dr Laine Jäderberg (please see bios). Participants will have space to reflect on their own experience of being parented and will practice the tools of stabilisation and self-regulation. There will be exercises designed to help people connect relationally and tools that increase resilience and support a greater sense of self.
The workshop will combine theory, experiential exercises, and opportunities to practice in dyads as well as to discuss casework. Be prepared to discover your inner child, play and have fun.
Who is the course for?
It is designed for people who work with children, adolescents, parents, families, couples and for those who were once children themselves. Mental health practitioners, psychotherapists, bodyworkers, social workers, occupational therapists, somatic therapists, and anyone with an interest in making the world an easier place for children and young people will benefit from this opportunity.
Cost & Booking
The cost of the three-day workshop is £540. If you pay before August the earlybird price is £490. To book click on the button below. Places are limited and if the workshop is full you will be able to be added to the waiting list.
More about Sue Bell
Sue Bell, OBE, Child and Mental Health Advocate, Trauma Therapist, Lifelong Learner, Founder, CEO and Clinical Director of Kids Inspire (www.kidsinspire.org.uk) Sue founded Kids Inspire in 2007 to fill a gap in mental health services and work with the most vulnerable children and young people in Essex. Today, the need is greater than ever, and that same gap in services exists nationwide. Kids Inspire is planning long-term growth so that in future every child and young person in the UK will have access to support to lead happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
Sue leads a team of 100 plus trauma therapists, experienced professionals, and volunteers. She has developed innovative, holistic specialist services and projects and has created and delivered experiential trauma informed training for adults who support young people. Sue teaches the Trauma Module on the MA in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy at Terapia (Middlesex University) and assists in Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and NeuroAffective Touch Practitioner trainings internationally. MA Integrative Arts, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist (UKCP accredited), PGDip Psychodynamic Counselling, PGCE Drama and English, BA Hons Theatre and Drama Therapy, Cert Creative Group Therapy, Cert Therapeutic Counselling for Adolescents, EMDR (Adult, Child, and Adolescent), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP, level 1), Integrative Somatic Psychotherapy (ISP), trained in NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), NeuroAffecttive Touch (NATouch), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), Child Accelerated Trauma Treatment (CATT).
Sue works with children, young people, adults, couples, and families. She specialises in supporting those impacted by developmental trauma and works predominantly with children not living with their biological families and their parents/carers. Her training enables her to use a varied toolbox that integrates the Creative Arts with Somatic Experiencing and NeuroAffective Touch. She has specialist experience working with eating disorders, neurodiversity, sexual abuse, self-harm, anxiety, and suicidality.
Sue was awarded an OBE for services to mental health, charity, and education in June 2021.
More About Dr. Laine Jäderberg DPsych (Prof.) MA FRSA
Laine is the founder and clinical lead for the Parent Child Clinic and a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. Laine’s Doctoral research focused on parent-child psychotherapy and the outcome of that research was the VPT model (The Vital Parenting Tasks) for parent-child psychotherapy. Laine is registered with UKCP (including the specialist child register) and BACP; a Senior Associate of the Royal Society of Medicine; and was recently invited to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her contribution to creative psychological therapy and research.
Laine’;s clinical experience includes work with children, adolescents, families, individuals and couples in primary care (GP surgeries); NHS, including CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services); adult and young adult in-patient forensic units; state and private schools and in private practice.
Laine’s special interests are working with intergenerational trauma, parent-child psychotherapy, twins, psychosomatic medicine and complex cases. She also has a special interest in working with creative arts, in particular painting and music.
Laine’s CPD (continued professional development) training includes EMDR, forensic psychotherapy (Portman Clinic); couples work (Tavistock Centre); Family and Systemic work (Tavistock and NHS). Laine also works as a specialist ordered by the Family Court for high conflict divorce cases and specialist adoption support services for Local Authorities.
She is a visiting lecturer and a clinical supervisor for trainees and fully qualified psychotherapists. Laine manages a charitable fund providing psychotherapy for parents and children, along with research opportunities and training through the Parent Child Clinic CIC (Community Interest Company).