Compass deliver the New Ways therapeutic intervention programmes designed specifically for young people who have experienced early life trauma and adversity.
New Ways Safeguarding is a psychology service which specialises in working with young people with complex backgrounds and/or experiences and the impacts that this can have.
What Is on Offer?
PSB refers to any sexualised behaviour which is detrimental or harmful to the young person themselves or those around them. It can look different for each young person but might include behaviours such as; contact or non-contact sexual behaviours towards others, online sexual activity, persistent sexually aggressive language or public displays of sexual behaviour.
The New Ways OPSB programme is guided by empirical evidence, recommendations from academic literature and clinical practice. It adopts a multi modal approach, however, places emphasis on a Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT), and an attachment informed framework. TF-CBT is proposed as the optimal intervention method for experience of complex trauma in youth, including experience of abuse and maltreatment (NICE, 2017, Gillies et al., 2016).
Importantly, a core element of the adoption of the New Ways programmes within Compass residential homes is the integration of intervention and a therapeutic approach to daily living. To this end all staff are specialist trained, receive ongoing CPD, are involved directly and indirectly in sessions and groupwork and utilise the shared language and behaviour support of a trauma focused approach.
Programme Delivery
Research indicates that young people with problematic sexual behaviour likely experienced adversity and perhaps abuse in early life, surviving chaotic environments with exposure to unhelpful beliefs. The program addresses problematic behaviour while emphasising skills development, changing maladaptive beliefs, processing trauma, and fostering resilience, self-awareness, and empathy.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ when dealing with problematic sexual behaviour, and every young person who has acted out in this way is likely to have unique circumstances. Although the OPSB programme has been designed for particular presenting issues, the child-centred focus allows for tailoring the programme to the young person’s individual needs.
Each home has a dedicated on-site Assistant Psychologist (known in Compass as a Programme Psychologist or PP) who delivers the intervention. The intervention consists of an individual and a groupwork session each week. Each session in the programme adopts a child centred focus. This means work is carried out using a variety of multi modal approaches, for example, artwork, imaginative play, storytelling, active exercises, music, video clips, creative writing, reflective role play, to name a few.
The OPSB individual and group work programmes have options for both adolescent and pre- adolescents. The intervention begins with a formulation period where the specific strengths, needs and therapeutic focus for each young person is determined and the programme adapted as necessary. The young person will then continue to progress through the sessions of the intervention programme. The referrer will receive a formulation and progress report at approximately 12 weeks, as well as six weekly update reports and an end of intervention report.
Modules
Pre-Adolescent Option
The pre-adolescent OPSB intervention consists of 50 core semi structured therapeutic sessions. The programme is made up of 5 modules, with 10 sessions in each:
Adolescent OPSB Option
The adolescent programme consists of 83 core sessions. Twelve of these are used for the initial formulation phase. Following this there are 72 individual sessions and the same number of groupwork sessions, both of which are made up 6 modules.
Individual therapeutic intervention covers more personal and sensitive therapeutic work, such as trauma processing and analysis of problematic sexual behaviour.
As the intervention has a cognitive behavioural basis it may not suit every young person, so it is important to review the inclusion/exclusion criteria to ensure it is the best fit. Sometimes, if for some reason they are not deemed suitable/ready, we may suggest a different intervention suited to their needs.
To make a referral, speak to our Family Finding team today.