-Self-Expression through engagement with music, including choosing, listening to and creating music.  

-Role and real play that changes the felt sense of being in the world.

Therapeutic Provision.

-Check-in circles that due to their structure encourage social participation i.e development of eye contact where everyone is at same level).

-Invitation to emotional honesty, (being seen, met and heard). 

-Choosing of music from the group, rotated between members of group. 

-Large paper-based social mark-making/drawing experiences of being recognised and seen by trusted others. 

-A large space to move and express individuality, exercise, dance and develop self-expression.

-Use of props to encourage dressing up and taking of risks, new roles in life, imaginary figures and puppet play. 

-Emotional and body based reflection, (self and other). 

-Use of client verbal feedback as a tool to develop the making up of words and self expression is encouraged as it is a sign that the brain is in a state of ‘creative contagion’ and then also developing a healthy sense of self: ‘I feel, my body is, my mind is.’ 

-Performance invitation as appropriate, to take the therapeutic context and then ‘make real’ the work done/imaginings, to develop sense of social mastery and positive social feedback. “I am special, I am celebrated.’

-Careful use of video to develop self-recognition of freedom in self-expression, social risk taking, social avoidance of risk/self expression, role play, with watching back of video to further develop sense of expanding self/group realisation. Social reward based and use of video to develop real-self rather than widening gap between social media image and congruence. 

-Small world box/bag for one to one work and to facilitate contained play. 

-Check-out circle for group to come back to, promoting healthy containment of creative expression, self recognition, dealing with challenge, developing arousal regulation.

Qualitative Measures.

We conduct termly tracking of children in terms of Maslow’s heirarchy of needs. (See Diagram) This is a useful hypothetical model with explanatory power, which fits in with other developmental models that have been tested over the years, including Erickson’s model of child development. Both of these are embedded in the company created illuminative surveys, (see Katherine Weare: developing the emotionally literate school) which the student fills in at regular, mostly termly intervals. 

When the student is invited to do this the facilitation is geared towards the different life areas (as appropriate to their developmental stage), as outlined by Maslow (again above). 

The survey is also mapped onto domains of resilience (See educare modules). 

The survey also highlights and acts a tool to develop a number of areas:

-The development of reflective capacity over time.

-The capacity for self-evaluation and therefore the development of the sense of self, which is then linked to good emotional, mental, social and immunological health.

-Finally ‘sense of self’ and ‘self-reflexivity’ is potentially encouraged by completing them. 

Artistic and creative approaches in working with autism.

Academics are becoming more and more interested in the development of flow or entropic states as many mental health conditions (depression/anxiety/OCD/addiction relate to an over-structuring or rigidity in the brain. Charhardt-Harris, R., Marcia, Donnolly, O: (Clinical Psychologist Southmead hospital Bristol) All of which diagnosies are found in significant quantities in people with autism. 

Children’s brains are thought to be entropic (in a chaotic or play state) when they are in a state of natural wellbeing.  The creative contagion that takes place within the therapy group/dyad could be termed an outpicturing of the internal state of the brain. Obviously this needs to be balanced by structure. Too much entropy in later stages of development (chaos) could tend towards conditions such as schizophrenia/multiple personality disorder and ‘magical’ thinking, however with the rigidity in patterns ascribed to the neuro-a-typical autistic brain developing play and imagination would appear to be a vitally important therapeutic tool for this population. Particularly as autism is linked with high levels of social anxiety and not understanding ‘the rules of the social game.’ In reciprocal interactions there might not be any rules, which can then confound the autistic brain, leading to withdrawal and social isolation. 

The therapy provides a very simple structure, within which, and bound by the check-in and check-out ‘play’ in the broadest physical, creative sense is invited and guided. In my therapy I employ somatic counter-transference as a marker of the field effect of the therapy, this means that we can feel when someone else’s brain has lit up through the affect as experienced in our own bodies. 

The idea is that creative and artistic activity transfers in the room to engage even those who are watching in the ‘field effect’, that of: joy, interest, engagement, connection, possibility, imagination, (‘That could be me’) and creative acts of expression (as seen in the groups that I facilitate) This information can be gleaned from watching the videos and photographs on the school file, including the social drawing that groups are invited to undertake. This also creates a narrative of the therapeutic journey, developing an artistic container for young people who may struggle to find a coherent narrative to their lives. 

Performance (self-directed and self-initiated) is seen as a possibility of sharing this field effect with others providing challenge, expression of high emotional impact, development of confidence and expressive ability through a visceral sense of overcoming fear, comfort zone and then remembering and translating this to other challenges. Positive feedback and being seen by the community, including parents, teachers and peers adds to the capacity to take risks and meet individual and social potential.   

Artistic and creative approaches in working with behavioural challenges.

Again children’s brains are thought to be entropic (in a chaotic or play state) when they are in a state of natural wellbeing.  The creative contagion that takes place within the therapy group/dyad could be termed an outpicturing of the internal state of the brain, which can lead to self-recognition of internal states with the reflections of the therapist dreaming attention to themes worked on. The external world can be shown to be connected to the clients impulses, emotions and even thoughts about the world through the facilitation of the check-in and check out and the themes worked on in the group. This can then develop self-awareness, emotional and social intelligence. Obviously the play state needs to be balanced by structuring the sessions carefully, particularly in terms of developing the containment needed for behavioural disorders. Too much entropy in later stages of development (chaos) could tend towards conditions such as schizophrenia/multiple personality disorder (both contested diagnoses) and ‘magical’ thinking, Developing play and imaginative working through of themes also appears a vitally important therapeutic tool for this population. The natural state of play and mutually reciprocal interactions that the child without high levels of ACE’s (Adverse childhood experiences) would be both drawn to and be able to create can be much harder for those with experiences such as divorce, social exclusion, just witnessing domestic violence, threat, poverty, etc. The child that is unable to regulate themselves within social norms may need to find their way to play again, through the safety and creativity of the therapeutic container, normal development can then begin again. 

Further Therapeutic Tools.

The therapy provides a very simple structure, within which, and bound by the check-in and check-out ‘play’ in the broadest physical, creative sense is invited and guided. In my therapy I employ somatic counter-transference as a marker of the field effect of the therapy, this means that we can feel when someone else’s brain has lit up through the affect as experienced in our own bodies. 

The idea is that creative and artistic activity transfers in the room to engage even those who are watching in the ‘field effect’, that of: joy, interest, engagement, connection, possibility, imagination, (‘That could be me’) and creative acts of expression (as seen in the groups that I facilitate) This information can be gleaned from watching the videos and photographs on the school file, including the social drawing that groups are invited to undertake. This also creates a narrative of the therapeutic journey, developing an artistic container for young people who may struggle to find a coherent narrative to their lives. 

Performance (self-directed and self-initiated) is seen as a possibility of sharing this field effect with others providing challenge, expression of high emotional impact, development of confidence and expressive ability through a visceral sense of overcoming fear, comfort zone and then remembering and translating this to other challenges. Positive feedback and being seen by the community, including parents, teachers and peers adds to the capacity to take risks and meet individual and social potential.   

Areas for Company Improvement. 

Improve design of life-surveys and give further analysis of  information in terms of ‘domains of resilience’ and ‘maslow’s hierarchy’ of needs.

Retrieval of baseline, summative and student voice in an easy to see format, to pull out data.  

Triangulation of qualitative experience: Parent voice, Teacher voice, SLT voice, 

Brief formal questionnaire around effect of therapy on the client/student after 3 months, 6 months. 

Attachment state needs to be explicitly referenced as included in ‘difficulty’ levels.

Explore with school when to do the ending out-come measures, i.e termly or at longer intervals.  

Sam Bloomfield April 2019.