Therapeutic Support

At Nether Johnstone House our values and ethos are underpinned by a social pedagogical approach to development and growth. Placing value on mutual respect, trust, unconditional love and appreciation of others, social pedagogy values individuals as being competent and resourceful in bringing about their own development and growth supported by those around them.

This approach to care in Nether Johnstone House encourages us as practitioners to utilise day to day interactions/events as a potential learning opportunity for a child and thus to gradually nurture their development. We believe that learning stimulates curiosity and supports children and young people to connect with their physical and social environment.

Fundamental to the principles of a social pedagogical approach is ‘The common third’ – the use of activity between the child/young person and the adult to strengthen relationships and enhance learning opportunities. Key to this is an appreciation that the specific activity itself is not important but instead the engagement between child and adult and the opportunities this creates for meaningful interaction and participation.

At Nether Johnstone House we use a range of activities, specifically tailored to the individual and the adults supporting them to ensure that relational practice is embedded and given opportunity to grow and develop. Participation at every level is key to enhancing the experience gained from engagement and to promote the development of positive meaningful and sustainable relationships.

Our team are trained in the impact of trauma on behaviours, emotion’s, thoughts and experiences of the world and therefore recognise that our children and young people require a safe and nurturing environment where they can experience positive, trusting, reliable and loving relationships from the adults caring for them. The team at Nether Johnstone House are skilled in utilising life story approaches to support our young people form an understanding and appreciation of their own personal journey, helping them to utilise this knowledge for growth and development.