Abstract
Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT) is a relatively new approach to therapy, which has been found to be effective for both adults and adolescents. But so far there has been little research on whether it is helpful for children in care and their foster carers.
MBT starts from the assumption that foster carers are essential to supporting the well-being of looked after children, but that the role they play is often very challenging. So MBT works with the child and foster carer together, and focuses on improving the core components of secure attachment, i.e. the emotional bond between the child and care giver. An MBT approach believes that supporting this relationship, especially by helping the carer to be curious about the child's experience of the world, is a key step towards improving the emotional well-being of LAC.
Before seeking funding for a large-scale study to evaluate whether MBT is effective, we wanted to know if it was going to be possible to run a complex study of this sort within targeted mental health services for looked after children.
MBT starts from the assumption that foster carers are essential to supporting the well-being of looked after children, but that the role they play is often very challenging. So MBT works with the child and foster carer together, and focuses on improving the core components of secure attachment, i.e. the emotional bond between the child and care giver. An MBT approach believes that supporting this relationship, especially by helping the carer to be curious about the child's experience of the world, is a key step towards improving the emotional well-being of LAC.
Before seeking funding for a large-scale study to evaluate whether MBT is effective, we wanted to know if it was going to be possible to run a complex study of this sort within targeted mental health services for looked after children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Plain English Summary |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2018 |