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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.

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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

 

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.