Training programmes for adoptive parents and special guardians

Gateway Psychology provides psychology-based training to parents and carers of children who have experienced early trauma. We recognise that theory and understanding are not enough on their own, so our training workshops always include practical ideas for parenting and supporting children and young people of various ages. Delivered both online and face-to-face, our training programmes are designed to provide understanding, insight and practical ideas to parents and carers who may be experiencing difficulties.

eTR-UST therapeutic parenting programme

eTR-UST is an in-depth programme aimed at parents or carers of children who have experienced trauma, abuse and neglect. The course offers training, insight and practical ideas for parenting children who are experiencing difficulties that can arise from these types of experiences.

We offer this course online, using Zoom. This parenting programmes may be funded through the Adoption Support Fund for eligible adoptive parents and special guardians.

A-ABC therapeutic parenting for adolescents

Adolescence, Attachment and Building Connection (A-ABC) explores attachment in teenagers, including their brain development and how this applies to adolescents who have experienced early trauma.

This in-depth therapeutic reparenting programme demonstrates how many of the brain changes that occur during adolescence mean that teenagers lose some of their previous skills and abilities, and introduces the implications of this within a history of attachment and developmental trauma.

On-demand and live webinar training

In addition to our parenting programems, we offer a range of webinars that parents and carers can access online. These are available to watch on-demand, with some hosted as live interactive webinar sessions.

Please check our training section to discover what we have available at the moment.

Upcoming events

Parenting with Theraplay (Sep 2024)

23 September - 14 October

LEAPlets (Jan 2025)

7 January 2025 - 25 March 2025

FAQs

You do not need a GP letter or special referral to access our services. Please contact us about your situation, providing as much detail as possible. We will get back to you with more information about working with us.

Please note that if you think your sessions will be funded by your Local Authority, Regional Adoption Agency or another organisation, you will likely need to speak with them first.

Therapeutic interventions and assessments may be accessible through your Local Authority or Regional Adoption Agency if you are an adoptive parent or special guardian. These are often funded under the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. You will need to speak with your post-adoption social worker to discuss this.

We are a registered Adoption Support Agency and regularly provide trauma-informed therapeutic interventions and complex psychological assessments. As such, we are inspected by Ofsted for our work with adoptive families.

Please contact us for our most up-to-date pricing structure.

We understand that it is not always possible to fund sessions yourself. Our fees reflect the many years’ experience and training our clinicians undertake to provide an expert and high-quality clinical service.

If you are an adoptive parent, special guardian or foster carer, you might be able to access our services through your Regional Adoption Agency or Local Authority. Please speak to your social worker to discuss this.

Some organisations, such as schools or charities, may help fund sessions with a clinical psychologist. It is best to speak to the organisation directly to find out if this is possible.

We occasionally work with insurance companies to provide sessions for children or young people. Please talk to your insurer to see if this would be a possibility.

We tailor our sessions to suit the specific needs of you and your child or young person. Your clinician will talk with you about the plan before we get started. Please browse our website for more detailed information about working with Gateway Psychology. You can also get in touch with us with any specific questions you might have.

Testimonials

Our goal is to provide a high-quality, flexible and timely service that really makes a difference in the lives of the children, young people and families we work with.

“I found the course to be extremely informative. The presenter was excellent and provided everyone with a chance to be heard. I particularly loved the box of goodies that were sent to us. It was a very special and personal touch from Gateway Psychology.”

“This course has provided me with invaluable insight into helping me better understand the issues that my children could be dealing with. The course content, the presenter and the technical support all exceeded my expectations. I am proud to have taken part in this eTR-UST course. I would highly recommend this course to anyone.”

“I am hugely grateful to the presenter for delivering a brilliant course; creating an environment in which we felt comfortable to be open and ask difficult (or obvious) questions throughout each session. I think it would be great if the course became more widely available to people who are about to adopt (like in our own case) and use it as a foundation.”