'Relational trauma requires relational repair' says Dr Treisman throughout her book and it's a mantra worth repeating. Her book explains what relational repair really involves, from creating safety and regulation, to exploring complex and layered emotions to tackling rage and sleep disturbances. It is packed with ideas and materials to guide and support therapeutic conversations, much of which could be used by therapeutic parents. What I especially love is the combination of compassion both for child and parent and its insistence on a sound, scientific approach. The pictures, the pebbles, the glue and the glitter are all set within a robust trauma-informed framework that reflect the emotional complexity of building a meaningful relationship with a traumatised child. For those who labour at the coalface of relational repair, it is a nourishing read that will top up your therapeutic tank and make you feel just that little bit more encouraged and cherished and perhaps even vindicated. It deserves to be widely read by all those involved in supporting the healing of relationally traumatised children from commissioners, policy makers and academics right up to foster carers and adoptive parents.
A Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children and Adolescents with Developmental Trauma : Creative Techniques and Activities