Adoptionplus - Building Positive Futures

I completed an MA course in Social Work at Lancaster University in 2004 and began working as a qualified Social Worker within children and families settings. My first role was as a Social Worker within a Child Care Team, dealing with issues of family support, child protection and care proceedings. I then went on to work for the Northamptonshire Permanence Team in October 2006, working with children and young people with complex attachment needs. From January 2009 until end of September 2009, I was also a member of the Northamptonshire Adoption Panel which considers applications of prospective adopters and matches between children and adopters. I am very interested in issues around trauma and attachment and supporting children and their new families in their attachment relationships.

In my spare time I really enjoy floristry and gardening, which I find therapeutic. I am also a ‘”Family Link” carer, which involves providing short breaks for children with disabilities. I currently offer short breaks to a girl who has Downs Syndrome.

I joined Adoptionplus in June 2011. I applied for the position because I wanted to work for an organisation that makes a positive difference to people’s lives.

I qualified as a music therapist in 1996 and in 1998 I completed my MA in Developmental Music Therapy in Special Education. I am a State Registered Arts Therapist (HPC Registration No AS00178) and on the Executive Committee of the Association of Professional Music Therapists. Over the past twelve years I have worked as a senior music therapist in a range of settings with young children and adolescents with developmental delay, autistic spectrum disorders, emotional/behavioral and attachment issues. I currently work in collaboration with Educational Social Workers, Speech & Language and Occupational Therapists and Post Adoption Agencies integrating Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Dan Hughes), Theraplay and Expressive Arts Therapy as part of a multi-disciplinary team. I am also a tutor at Terapia, Children and Adolescents Counselling & Psychotherapy Training Course.

My wide experience of working with children with emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties was gained in Mainstream and Special schools, both as teacher and Special Educational Needs Coordinator. As Specialist Advisory Teacher for children with autism, I developed multi-professional post-diagnostic services, helping parents to develop positive relationships with their child. In 2002 I co-founded a charity that supports pre-school children with social communication difficulties and their families.

As a Child Counsellor, I am developing therapeutic support for children with emotional needs in Special Schools, working closely with families, teachers and support staff. I am also a Child Counsellor with the Family Mediation Service.

I have 3 grown up children of my own whose life journeys continue to be a source of enormous pleasure.

I am Consultant Chartered Clinical Psychologist with over thirteen years of experience working with children and families; eleven of which have been with children who have experienced maltreatment in their birth families and who are now fostered or adopted. I have been involved in the establishment of a nationally regarded, dedicated and specialist local authority service in Oxford and have been the Clinical Lead there for the last four years.

I have a long standing research interest in how children and their families recover from traumatic beginnings and help them build successful and stronger lives as a result of their experiences. I am particularly interested in what it is about the child and their adoptive parents which might help this recovery; this includes an appreciation of the process of attachment at both the psychological and neurobiological level.

I have an ongoing and strong commitment to training and supervision. I regularly contribute as a supervisor and lecturer to the Oxford University Doctoral Clinical Psychology Training course in the area of safeguarding, attachment and work with adoptive families.

My work in private practice as an expert witness in child care cases, compliments my work with adoptive families whose children have inevitably been through the legal process.

I am proud to be the Clinical Lead for the therapy team at Adoptionplus. I am motivated to deliver high quality services which reflect the needs of adoptive families, at the right time and in the right way. Services such as Adoptionplus are committed to developing therapies which match our growing understanding of how different therapies, which address the whole attachment process from `mind to body’, can help adoptive families build enjoyable, rewarding and more secure relationships.

I bring to this role my experience of working with individuals, couples and family members in other voluntary organisations, educational settings and private practice. My counselling approach is integrative as I strive to tailor the way I work to each client’s needs and preferences. I draw from psychodynamic, person-centred, cognitive-behavioural and systemic approaches as well as therapeutic techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, the Emotional Freedom Technique and Sensory Attachment Intervention.

In 1990 I set up in private practice. It specialises in the assessment and treatment of sensory processing and attachment problems of both children and adults. My sensory-attachment intervention (SAI) approach is integrative and organismic. It combines neurobehavioural analysis, attachment classification and client centred counselling theories. SAI analyses whether behavioural difficulties are sensory based or emotionally based. It focuses on regulation of arousal states to facilitate reflective functioning, parent child engagement, and on enriched environment provision.

I provide monthly consultation to Adoptionplus. Drawing on my experience providing therapeutic support to foster and adoptive families, this provides the team with an opportunity to reflect on specific pieces of work with families.

I am the co-editor/author of:

Golding K. S., Dent H. R., Nissim R., & Stott E. (2006) Thinking psychologically about children who are looked after and adopted. Space For Reflection. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

I have also written a training manual for attachment based group training,

Golding K. S. (2006) Fostering Attachments with Children who are Looked After and Adopted. Training manual for a group for foster carers and adoptive parents.

and a book for carers and parents based on this training:

Currently, I work as a senior doctor in the field of pediatric regulatory medicines; I have written several research articles in this field. I also have an interest in occupational medicine and undertake regular clinical work. In addition, I have been the Medical Advisor for Foster plus since 2006.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, including 2 cats and a pony. I also enjoy chasing after tennis balls!

Independent Member

As an adopter I have first hand experience of the complexities of being an adoptive parent; the skills needed to nurture a child with complex needs and help them heal and the great challenges and rewards that come with being an adoptive parent.

I am also a social worker with over twenty years experience of working with children who for a variety of reasons have been unable to remain living within their families of origin. I also have previous experience of sitting on a fostering panel.