At Flourish, our foster parents can complete our Level 3 Course in Applied Therapeutic Practice, a nationally recognised qualification accredited by CPCAB and developed by Dr Mica Douglas and the Flourish therapeutic team.
The five-month course goes beyond learning therapeutic approaches and looks at the theory behind why they work. Foster parents explore childhood trauma, attachment, emotional regulation, identity, relationships and defence mechanisms, as well as reflecting on their own experiences and responses.
“Behaviour is rarely the whole story” is something we teach our foster parents from day one. But knowing that and really understanding why it matters can be two different things. The Level 3 allows foster parents to develop that understanding further and connect what they learn with their everyday experiences of fostering.
One of the course assignments allowed foster parent Lorraine to look back at her experience of caring for a young person through everything she had learned.
“My favourite part of the qualification was the case study we did on a young person we cared for. It really made me reflect on the value of a trauma-informed and therapeutic approach.”
Looking back at their experience with everything she had learned on the course also gave Lorraine the chance to recognise the progress that had been made.
“It made me appreciate how far we had all come on our fostering journeys and the progress our children have made.”
Understanding the theory behind therapeutic fostering
Liz was already using therapeutic approaches in her everyday fostering, but the Level 3 helped her understand more about the theory behind them.
“I loved learning the theory behind what and why we do fostering therapeutically, and why it works.”
A big part of therapeutic fostering is also being able to reflect on yourself. Throughout the course, foster parents think about their own experiences, responses and attachment styles, and how these can influence the relationships they build with children.
For Lorraine, that self-reflection was one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
“Understanding our own attachment styles can lead to greater self-awareness.”
Learning from other foster parents
Participants complete the course as part of a group, with teaching alongside experiential exercises, small-group work, discussion and reflective practice. This gives foster parents plenty of opportunities to talk about what they’re learning, share experiences and learn from each other too.
For Lorraine, that became an important part of the course:
“I came away from it with new friendships, and a reaffirmation of how much support we can give to each other.”
Liz felt strongly enough about the course that she’s already been encouraging other foster parents to do it.
“I think anyone and everyone should be strongly encouraged to do it, as it embeds why therapeutic parenting and this way of being works.”
Course designer Mica Douglas says:
“It is lovely to teach on a longer course where you can see light bulbs going on as the theory helps foster parents make sense of their daily experiences of fostering. Foster parents are asked to do a very challenging job without needing any qualifications; this course is a step towards professionalising fostering.”
That need for more in-depth training has also been recognised externally. Following the first running of the qualification, CPCAB’s external verifier said they were “impressed that the team has spotted a significant gap in the overall field of fostering” and were seeking to address it with the interests of young people and foster parents at heart.
Understanding not just that it works, but why
Dr Mica Douglas has worked in fostering for more than 20 years and completed her doctorate researching the value of therapeutic training in fostering. That experience has helped shape a course that combines therapeutic theory with the realities of everyday fostering.
But Lorraine probably summed up the purpose of the course best:
“It has reinforced to me not only that therapeutic practice works, but WHY it works.”
Since finishing the qualification, Lorraine has continued reading about childhood trauma and is already looking ahead to the Level 5.
For us, that’s what ongoing learning at Flourish should look like. We don’t want to provide training to tick boxes, but so that foster parents can keep learning, reflecting and developing their understanding of therapeutic practices.
