Attachment Art & Play Program
For: Children and young people Families
Available in: Perth Metro
Discovering playful and creative ways to connect with your child
The Holyoake attachment program is an early intervention program designed for caregivers and their children where attachment and relationships have been impacted by issues of alcohol and/or drug dependence.
The program uses play as the primary intervention approach to build attachment between caregivers and their children. The program is suited to children aged from 1.5 to 12 years old.
Over 10 free sessions, the use of play and sensory activities creates trusting and enjoyable experiences for both caregiver and their child.
It also provides a space for non-verbal messages for children to express love and that they are valued within a safe comfortable space (safe touch, physical closeness, eye contact, smiling, tone of voice, spending quality time), as well as providing a medium for the safe expression of feelings to facilitate secure attachment.
This program also offers parents and caregivers insights into their children’s experiences, and explores ways to continue their emotional and psychological growth.
The Attachment Program recognises that relationships can be repaired, and secure attachment can be developed through a range of strategies, which include:
- Organising feelings
- Tuning into the child’s needs
- Developing curiosity
- Promoting self-care
- Demonstrating empathy
Individual counselling is integrated to provide caregivers with opportunities to address the issues underlying their substance use to:
- Improve the caregivers-child attachment/relationship which has been impacted by problematic AOD use.
- Increase the sense of safety and trust for children, in their relationship with their caregiver.
- Improve the expression of emotions and conversations outside of the session, at home and in community.
- Build the caregivers confidence in parenting, increasing self-esteem and reducing stress.
Our Childsafe commitment
Every child has a right to live without violence, be cared for and protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
We are committed to child safety and wellbeing and maintain child-safe and child-friendly environments, implementing and completing self-assessments aligned to the National Principles of the Child Safe Organisations 2019 framework, as developed by the Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia.