Intervention
Animal Intervention - Ms Storer
Referred students will be able to interact with live animals. They will be shown how to look after these animals, care for them, feed them, clean them out and pet them gently. This has been shown that it can have a relaxing, calming influence on students.
Game Play- Mr Powell
"I will be using therapeutic gaming to improve the students' resilience to challenges, develop their understanding of their feelings, or even allow them to process trauma. The structured nature of the game opens the mind for creative expression, while encouraging participants to develop their communication skills, teamwork, listening, turn-taking, and problem-solving skills in a safe and fun environment. I will primarily be using the popular Role-Playing Game 'Dungeons & Dragons', but can utilise many forms of game to support students' development."
Research
Rønning SB, Bjørkly S. The use of clinical role-play and reflection in learning therapeutic communication skills in mental health education: An integrative review. Advances in Medical Education and Practice. 2019;10:415. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S202115.
Caltabiano M, Errington E, Sorin R, Nickson A. The potential of role-play in undergraduate psychology training. Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE) 2018;14(1):1–14.
Sargent, M. S. (2014). Exploring mental dungeons and slaying psychic dragons: An exploratory study. [Master’s Thesis, Smith College]. Smiths Scholar Works https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/837/
Drawing and Talking - Ms Gibney
Lego Therapy - Mr Knox
Lego Therapy is a play-based intervention designed to focus on developing social skills and collaboration, predominately with children who have autism or social interaction difficulties, however it can be used with all children. Lego interventions work on key areas of social interaction such as; turn taking, listening, initiation, problem solving and sharing, which can result in increased social confidence and willingness to initiate social interactions. Although predominately used in small groups, it can be tailored to be used individually to work on skills such as impulse control, memory, keeping attention and resist distraction, whilst all in a playful environment.
Sensory Support - Ms Yianni
Sensory Circuits: Are a regular session that includes beneficial sensory activities to help self-regulate/ alert and calm. Each circuit includes alerting activities, organising activities and calming activities, all of which enable students to achieve optimal levels of alertness requires for effective learning.
Helpful website: https://childrenschoicetherapy.co.uk/sensory-circuits/