WHAT DO SOME CHILD PSYCHOLOGY EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE MAGICAL CHANGE METHOD? I have personally been involved with counselling approximately 150 children so far, working with Magical Change techniques, to help those young people to make positive changes in their emotions, confidence, well-being, quality of life and potential. Since my first child`s successful recovery I have not stood still. I have actively researched elements of my method, taken courses in Neuroscience and have qualified as an NLP Practitioner (Neuro Linguistic Programming), with special reference to children, with Gemma Bailey from `NLP4KIDS`. I have also sought the help and advice of child psychology specialists. Across a couple of years, Dr Kim Collins of Teesside University`s Psychology Department gave me a lot of help with my researching which elements of my method might be working the best. In addition I have had the help and support of two other psychologists with a child specialism. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Lis Walker - an Educational Psychologist analysed my method of working and also successfully replicated it herself. She says :-
To a large extent, Trudy’s method resembles the Consultation Method of service delivery employed by psychologists in that her Consultation Interview with both parent and child involves focussed collaborative discussion in which the individuals who share concerns work together to identify ways forward.
Trudy’s method draws upon a number of psychological theories and principles, including:
• Solution-oriented theory
• Personal construct theory
• Systems thinking
• Narrative therapy
• Symbolic interactionism
• Social constructionism
The key features of the ‘Magical Change’ method are:
• Participants are seen as equal in status and in sharing expertise
• Consultees retain ownership of the problem
• The goals of consultation are to facilitate reflection upon potential ways forward in the current context and to develop future problem-solving skills.
Trudy’s method applies to different levels of working and this flexibility is key to its
success.
• At a systemic level (e.g. family and school dynamics)
• At a group or class level (e.g. classroom management)
• At an individual child level (e.g. devising behavioural or learning programmes)
End products of the ‘Magic Card’ technique.
1> Thinking, learning and study skills
2> Promoting self-esteem
3> Increasing motivation
4> Personal, social, emotional and developmental
5> Solution focused brief therapy
6> Anger management
7> Stress management / relaxation techniques
8> Assertiveness training
9> Cognitive behavioural therapy (changing the thoughts that underlie a young person's
behaviour)
10> Personal construct psychology (changing a young person's view of the world)
11> Emotional literacy (developing a young person's ability to identify and name their
own and others emotions)
12> School management
13> Anti-bullying strategies
14> Friendship groups
15> Self-esteem groups
16> Social skills groups
17> Pupil support groups, for example improving attendance
18> Conflict resolution approaches
19> Peer mediation
20> Peer tutoring
21> Peer counselling
22> Management of classroom behaviour
Lis Walker - Educational Psychologist
BSc, PGCE, PGDip SpLD (Dyslexia), PGDip Psychology, MSc Educational Psychology
Registered with The Health and Care Professions Council: PYL27699
RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGIST
I also have had this critique from a research psychologist and Associate Professor :-
Your intervention looks great, I can understand your happiness with it and I'm more than happy to share thoughts! I'm a research psychologist and work mainly with kids/families that are under pressure and have fallen or are falling apart (such as infants growing-up in orphanages, children whose parents migrate for work, young people who can't settle in foster family settings, etc. I've had a read through the outline of your method and, in broadest terms, all that you describe and speculate about makes sense.
Your list of contributing factors at the end is great - seems pretty complete and all makes sense to me. I think you do well to recognise the investment of an adult in the child's problem, the focused attention from someone who holds a special position, and who is able to truly recognise the child (here the identification with the child's experience is important, and I think also simply seeing the child as they are, with or without the specific 'problems' being experienced).
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