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Hand-Poured Soy Candles by Dr Craig Dunn

At Dr Craig Dunn & Associates, wellbeing isn’t only something we talk about in the therapy room — it’s something we try to create in the spaces people live in every day.

Our hand-poured soy candles are lovingly made by Dr Craig Dunn and are designed to bring comfort, calm, and a sense of emotional grounding into your home. Every candle purchased helps fund our low-cost therapy services, supporting people in our community who may otherwise struggle to access psychological support.

Price range: £5–£20
Purpose: Self-care for you, access to therapy for someone else.

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Why Scent Matters for Mental Health

Our sense of smell is directly linked to the parts of the brain involved in emotion, memory, and stress regulation. This means scent can have a powerful and immediate impact on how we feel.

 1. Calming the Nervous System

Gentle, comforting fragrances can help signal safety to the body, supporting a shift from a heightened stress state into a more relaxed one. Many people find that lighting a candle becomes a ritual that marks the transition from “doing” to “resting.”

 2. Emotional Grounding

Familiar or soothing scents can anchor us in the present moment. This can be especially helpful during times of anxiety, overwhelm, or low mood, offering a simple sensory tool to reconnect with the here and now.

 3. Positive Associations & Memory

Smell is closely tied to memory. A calming scent used regularly during quiet or reflective moments can become associated with safety, rest, or comfort — making it easier to access those feelings over time.

 4. Creating Safe Spaces

In therapy we talk about the importance of environment. Soft lighting and gentle scent can help transform a room into a space that feels nurturing rather than demanding — supporting emotional recovery after busy or stressful days.

Why Soy Wax?

• Cleaner burn than many paraffin candles

• Long-lasting scent

• Vegan-friendly

• Hand-poured in small batches with care

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Candles With a Purpose

These are more than home fragrances. Each candle helps us:

• Provide reduced-fee therapy sessions

• Support individuals facing financial barriers

• Continue community mental health initiatives

By purchasing a candle, you’re not just investing in your own wellbeing — you’re helping someone else access professional psychological support.

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A Small Ritual, A Big Difference

Lighting a candle can be a gentle daily act of self-care:

• A signal to slow down

• A moment to breathe

• A cue that this time is for you

And through your purchase, that same care extends into the wider community.

Please contact hello@drdunnpractice.com for any candle purchases.

 

For our social services page 

 

Therapeutic Support Packages for Adoptive & Foster Families

At Dr Craig Dunn & Associates, we work in partnership with social work services to support adoptive and foster parents caring for children who are experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties linked to early relational trauma and disrupted attachment.

Children who have experienced neglect, inconsistent caregiving, or early adversity often communicate distress through behaviour rather than words. Our specialist packages recognise that healing happens within relationships, not just within the child alone.

Our work supports both the child’s emotional development and the caregiver’s capacity to provide consistent, attuned care, helping families move from survival patterns toward safety, connection, and stability.

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Our Integrated Therapeutic Model

Treatment combines four complementary approaches, tailored to the child’s developmental needs and the caregiver’s relational capacity.

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Child-Centred Play Therapy

Play therapy offers the child a safe symbolic language when verbal expression feels overwhelming or inaccessible.

Through play, the child can:

• Express confusion, fear, loss, and unmet needs

• Process early experiences in a non-threatening way

• Develop emotional regulation skills

• Build a coherent personal narrative

• Experience safe, responsive relational interaction

Play becomes a bridge between internal experience and relational healing.

 

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP-Informed Work)

Our adapted Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy sessions focus on healing within the caregiver–child relationship.

Using principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy), caregivers are supported to:

• Stay emotionally available during dysregulation

• Respond with curiosity rather than correction

• Co-regulate intense emotions

• Repair relational ruptures

• Strengthen attachment security

This approach is particularly effective for children with developmental trauma histories, where safety and connection must be rebuilt through repeated relational experiences.

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Systemic Support

Difficulties do not sit in one person — they live in relationships and systems.

Systemic sessions explore:

• Family communication patterns

• Emotional roles and expectations

• Intergenerational influences

• Caregiver responses to stress

• Balancing boundaries with emotional availability

Caregivers are supported to reflect on their role in the relational cycle and develop responses that nurture the child’s autonomy while maintaining connection.

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Schema Therapy (Reparenting Focus for Caregivers)

Caregivers’ own early experiences can influence how they respond to a child’s distress. Schema-informed work supports caregivers to:

• Understand patterns such as guilt, over-responsibility, or emotional withdrawal

• Recognise triggers activated by the child’s behaviour

• Develop self-soothing and emotional regulation skills

• Practise “reparenting” themselves while parenting

• Increase emotional resilience and consistency

When caregivers feel more regulated and supported internally, children experience greater stability externally.

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What These Packages Aim to Achieve

• Increased emotional regulation for the child

• Stronger, more secure caregiver–child attachment

• Reduced behavioural distress

• Improved caregiver confidence and emotional availability

• Greater family stability

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Working in Partnership with Social Work Services

We provide structured, outcome-focused therapeutic packages with:

• Clear formulation and treatment planning

• Regular review points

• Collaborative communication with professionals

• Trauma-informed, attachment-focused practice

Our goal is not only symptom reduction, but long-term relational repair that supports children to feel safe in families and caregivers to feel equipped, confident, and supported.

 

Referral Process

The first step is for Social Services to arrange an initial consultation with Dr Craig Dunn at Dr Craig Dunn & Associates.

This 60 minute appointment will:

• Assess the child and family’s needs

• Consider suitability for our specialist attachment-focused packages

• Discuss recommended therapeutic approaches

• Clarify structure, duration, and funding options

This ensures support is tailored, clinically appropriate, and aligned with the child’s relational and developmental needs.

 To enquire or arrange a consultation, please email:
hello@drdunnpractice.com

 

We welcome collaborative working with Social Work teams and aim to provide responsive, trauma-informed support for families navigating complex attachment needs.