Psychologically Informed Practices (PIP’s): 

•  These are the various interventions based on two key theorists who provide the foundation for the therapeutic interventions with young people. These draw from a person centred humanistic existential approach along with a psychodynamic existential approach.

• From Rogers stems the therapeutic ideas of being genuine, congruent, and empathic, where the aim is to emotionally connect with the young person. After establishing the connection, the aim is to work through the discrepancies between how they view themselves along with how they wish to be. On this basis the aim is to provide support to the young person to eventually self-actualise into their ideal self.

• To understand a young person, entails making sense of the ideas of Alfred Adler, for example by being aware of their ‘schemas of apperception’ and how these are routinely used underpin their ‘private logic’ (how they view themselves and others) which then drives their ‘life script’ (how they live their life). This is also shaped by their ‘teleological end goal’ (how they view their life unfurling) and operates as the pillars that prop up their sense of superiority, drawn upon to disguise their inferiority. Ideally the young person needs to generate a sense of ‘social interest,’ based on how they understand themselves in relation to others and this propels their emotional recovery.

•  The initial aim of PIP is to work with the young person to also understand how they uphold their security operations or defences against being overwhelmed. All of this is often routinely undertaken to ward off others; whilst in contrast only by safely dissolving them can they build up trust with the wider environment. The focus of the therapeutic work is therefore centred on enhancing someone’s strengths to ensure they build their recovery capital. All of this can be developed by nurturing a theory of mind.