OUR TEAM
Our Health and Wellbeing Team is fully integrated into the care team, working closely with other professionals to ensure seamless, holistic support for each child.
Comprising a clinical psychologist, senior psychotherapists, psychotherapists, art therapists, integrative therapists, and child wellbeing practitioners, our team collaborates to provide specialised, trauma-responsive care.
By addressing both emotional and physical health, we deliver comprehensive support that enables children to not only recover from trauma but also thrive in a safe and nurturing environment.
OUR AIMS
Our aim is to support children, particularly those who have experienced abuse, neglect, and exploitation, in living their best lives. We focus on helping them overcome the impacts of trauma and build healthier coping mechanisms.
These traumatic experiences often make it difficult for children to manage their emotions and behaviours in prosocial and healthy ways. Our goal is to create a nurturing, safe, and stable environment where children can move away from the protective behaviours they developed in response to trauma and come into connection with themselves and others. By providing the right therapeutic support, we help children develop the skills they
need to heal and thrive.
OUR MODEL
We achieve this through our proprietary NATURE model, a strengths-based, child-centred approach grounded in the latest research on attachment and developmental trauma.
This model is rooted in neuroscience and incorporates the principles of Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and a PACEful approach (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy). With this approach, we ensure that every aspect of a child’s care, whether emotional, behavioural, educational, or physical, is supported with the highest level of therapeutic precision.
NURTURE
Represents nurturing care and protection
ATTACHMENT
Stability, security, and being grounded in relationships
TRUST
Strength, growth, and rootedness in trust
UNDERSTANDING
Vast knowledge, interconnectedness, and understanding of the world
RESILIENCE
Resilience, strength, and enduring through challenges
EDUCATION
Learning, exploration, and understanding the world through education
MAPPING PROGRESS
Our approach is successful because it is both comprehensive and collaborative, ensuring every area of the child’s development is supported. Each of our teams – Care, Health and Wellbeing, Education, and Outdoors – comes together to share insights and expertise, creating a holistic approach that responds to the child’s unique needs.
Through our My Assessment of Progress (MAP), we track the child’s progress and assess their needs, aligning this with the objectives set by Local Authorities.
The MAP focuses on the core strengths of healthy child development and helps us identify areas requiring further support and define clear goals, ensuring that our therapeutic planning is consistently updated and relevant to the child’s current and evolving needs.
From this assessment, a therapeutic formulation is developed for each child, acting as a roadmap for all teams to support their healing journey. This seamless integration of insights and therapeutic interventions, combined with a clear focus on progress, enables us to provide effective and responsive care that supports children in achieving long-term success.
What sets Wilderness Way apart is the integration of therapeutic care across every aspect of the child’s life. Our team operates with a shared vision and consistent approach, ensuring that health and wellbeing, education, outdoor and residential support work in harmony to promote healing.
This collaborative, cohesive model ensures that no aspect of a child’s care is overlooked. Additionally, we are committed to providing monthly therapeutic plans and an ending report to Local Authorities, ensuring they are kept up to date with therapeutic planning and the child’s progress. This supports their decisions about the child’s future home and helps in determining the best next steps for the child’s continued care.
Careers
Join our team
Working at Wilderness Way is much more than just a job. Being able to change the life of a vulnerable child is one of the most rewarding careers there is.