Therapy

The therapy provision at OEA is designed to support the students’ overall development by addressing their individual identified needs. We make effective use of the students’ Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and a six-week assessment process to design appropriate support and intervention programmes.

There is a strong focus on enabling all students to develop socially appropriate communication skills, alongside their academic, social, emotional and physical development.

Our students can have a wide range of needs that can adversely affect their learning and ability to engage positively at school and at home. At QEA we endeavour to provide support at both the individual and environmental level to ensure that specialist tailored support is delivered to every student to better enable them achieve their full potential.

Students have access to a multidisciplinary team consisting of: Play/Drama/Music Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and a school counsellor.  We work from a multi-disciplinary team approach. This means a combination of different skills and knowledge to provide a holistic understanding of the difficulties students may present. In this way we are able to design interventions to meet the unique needs of each student from a variety of perspectives.

Therapy Team

The Therapy Team includes several experienced psychotherapists/drama therapists, two play therapists a music therapist and a CBT therapist, all of whom are regulated by their respective professional bodies, and work to the associated ethical codes of conduct.

The philosophy behind the therapy team is one of creativity, hence the use of creative arts therapies and play therapy. Our aim is to meet the child where they are at in an attempt to engage them in therapeutic process. Creative Arts and Play allows the child to try to express their inner world within the container of creativity supported by authentic therapeutic relationship with a dedicated therapist.

Much of our work is influenced and underpinned by the principles and practice of DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) and the guiding principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) that are inherent to DDP. All therapists are trained to at least DDP Level 1. Some are qualified to Level 2; ongoing practice can contribute to the completion of the Practicum (Level 3) which is fully qualified DDP Practitioner status.

We also have a longstanding professional relationship with a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, who predominantly undertakes direct work during the assessment period in the form of a Psychiatric Assessment, and if required, may maintain psychiatric case overview. We also work with a Consultant Educational Psychologist who undertakes educational assessments and provides ongoing support if required.