London and Canterbury
Gonce Ahmet Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (Bsc,MA, PGDip, M.A, UKCP)
Adoption and Permanency
Entering adoption, Special Guardianship or another permanent placement is an important step forward in a child’s
life. Parents and carers have the challenge of supporting their children to form secure attachments and loving relationships. As well as supporting them to feel safe, children will also need the help of their parents and carer's to develop the social, emotional and cognitive skills they may have previously missed out on. Trauma informed, attachment based psychotherapy helps families develop the skills and understanding to form close, connected relationships.
Therapeutic support
Having extensive experience of working in social care systems, I understand well the problems facing children and parents when they become an adoptive/permanent family. Therefore, I work on a case by case basis to offer a bespoke therapeutic package that is holistic, and takes into account the individual needs of each child and their family members. My approach is to work in a multi disciplinary way, so that a therapeutic web exists around the child. Often this means liaising with other agencies in the child's life such as school, social services or other adoption support agencies.
I integrate a number of therapeutic approaches when working with families, these include:
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A trauma informed model of therapy called ARC (http://www.traumacenter.org/research/ascot.php) to reduce symptoms of traumatic stress.
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I am also trained to Theaplay level 1, which strengthens relationships through attachment based play.
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I have trained alongside Dan Hughes and use DDP (Dyadid Developmental Psychotherapy) and PACE for building trust and giving words to children's feelings.
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Offer options for life story work - Using Family Future's model
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I have extensive experience in the use of creative arts, including painting, drawing, clay, drama, movement and play.
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My practice is also informed by the latest developments in neuroscience, somatic trauma therapy, and regulation theory for building positive brain, body connections.
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My experience as a contact coordinator, also means I am able to assist with contact issues relating to birth family members.
Parents and carers
I offer a range of services to parents and carers, which include:
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Individual parent consultations and sessions for developing and strengthening therapeutic parenting
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NVR (Non violent Resistence) informed approach for parents struggling with CPV- Child on Parent Violence
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Mindfulness based practices for stress reduction using Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT )
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Regular reviews of and support with family focused therapy.
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support with contact related issues.
Referral Process
The Adoption Support Agencies Regulation (2010) stipulates that all therapists working with adoptive families require a 'contract for services'. At present, this is provided by an OFSTED approved and registered Adoption Support Agency (Such as your local authority, or voluntary adoption support agency). More information is available at BACP's Good Practice Guidelines
I am experienced in providing therapeutic services to parents and carers from a range of Regional Adoption Agencies in the London and surrounding boroughs. If you are a local authority and would like to make a referral, or are an adoptive parent/carer looking for more information, you will find details of where I practice and how to reach me here.