Therapeutic Interventions at JBA
Sanjay Badhan – Lead Therapeutic Practitioner
At James Brindley Academy, therapy is a cornerstone of our commitment to supporting the holistic development of all our pupils across our teaching centers. Led by Sanjay Badhan, our Lead Therapeutic Practitioner (LTP), our therapy framework has been meticulously crafted to foster engagement and cater to the diverse needs of our student body. Sanjay
We understand that each pupil may require varying levels of therapeutic support, which is why our therapy framework offers three distinct grades of intervention. As a result, Sanjay and his team operate academy wide, ensuring that every student receives the level of therapy that best suits their individual needs.
The highest level of intervention (Grade 1) available for our pupils is counselling. As the LTP is a BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) registered therapist, the service works in line with an established ethical framework to ensure safe, confidential and competent practice. Pupils across the teaching centres have a diverse range of needs, which can make a traditional counselling process difficult to engage with as it relies on clients to take lead. A school-based intervention (Grade 2) allows for more flexibility in sharing insight and enables the LTP to be directive. This can alleviate the demand on pupils to lead with communication with agenda focused sessions based on their referral.
Finally, the LTP offers ad hoc Check Ins (Grade 3) to allow a sense of an accessible school counsellor if pupils have a need or desire to speak to someone that may not have been identified through the referral process. Through this system, JBA aims to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils that can also assist them in overcoming barriers to learning.
Referral Process for Therapy
Therapeutic Service
James Brindley Academy have a Lead Therapeutic Practitioner (LTP) to provide talking therapy in the form of counselling. Counselling or Person Centred Therapy is a humanistic approach that follows the lead of the client. Practitioners work in a non-directive form, which is why counselling requires a client who has a willingness to engage in the therapy process. For children and young people (CYP) within a school, the LTP will sometimes provide direction in sessions based on therapeutic knowledge that can promote holistic wellbeing. It is crucial that clients are treated without judgement and feel comfortable in order to collaboratively explore their underlying feelings. The primary outcome of Person Centred Therapy is the relationship between practitioners and clients.
Referrals
Referral forms can be completed by any member of staff where key workers are best positioned to lead on. All referrals must be seen and approved by Centre Leaders. This is to ensure that required information, such as safeguarding, is included before being submitted to the LTP. Consent from parents is required and to be logged on Arbor. It is also important that pupils are aware of being put forward for referral as their willingness to engage is crucial for the therapy process.
Staff will be informed if a referral form has reached the threshold for therapy to ensure that the needs are suitable for specialist intervention. The LTP will then arrange an initial assessment to determine whether weekly therapy can take place. If a referral has been approved but there is no availability then staff will be informed of a waiting period and/or suggested different means of support for the time being. If a referral has not been approved for therapy, then staff will be notified as soon as possible.
Therapy Process
Pupils starting therapy will be offered up to 6-8 sessions initially that will last up to an hour. These will take place at the same time every week. The LTP will liaise with relevant staff to review whether a pupil’s 6 sessions needs to be extended; this can also be influenced by the collective level of need for therapy in the centre. Pupils’ sessions will be logged on Arbor but notes will only be subject to the consent of the pupil. The LTP will be logging notes in a confidential area that is not accessible to staff, in order to maintain ethical standards of therapy.
In cases where pupils have agreed to share any content of their sessions, then the LTP will liaise with relevant individuals. It is crucial that the boundaries of therapy are respected by all staff in order to enhance the process of self-development. The other exception to breaching confidentiality of sessions will be if there is a safeguarding concern.
Ethical Standards
LTP will be working in line with the BACP Ethical Framework for Counselling Professions, which is openly accessible to all on the following website: https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/ethical-framework-for-the-counselling-professions/
Please view the document below for a useful guide when considering the grade of therapeutic support a pupil may need. It can also provide a level of insight to how the outcomes for referrals are determined.
Student Placements at JBA
We have exciting placement opportunities for trainee therapists to work with our pupils from 3 teaching centres. The Lead Therapeutic Practitioner has developed a therapy framework in line with the BACP Ethical Framework and guidelines for competent practice with children and young people (CYP). We are looking good practitioners that fit our ethos of “Think Differently!” that can explore the implicit processes of our CYP who experience a variety of mental health and neurodivergent issues.
How to apply
If this sounds like you, please email any relevant details and your availability to
> vacancies@jamesbrindley.org.uk
After informal telephone call, we will send the application form directly to you and a face-to-face meeting will be arranged for suitable candidates.