The Use of Big Empathy Drawings in Helping Traumatised Children and Young People to Heal

Led by Dr Margot Sunderland, this event will cover the key intervention to convey empathy to children and teenagers in ways which enables them to feel safe enough to engage with you in the vital act of collaborative sense-making about what’s happened to them. The most defended children often start to reflect rather than react and re-define themselves as worthy and competent instead of bad and useless.

The intervention provides vital mental state talk for the child/teenager when we know that a key component of depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders is not having words for feelings (alexithymia). Through moving case material, Dr Sunderland will demonstrate the powerful impact of big empathy drawings and provide a wealth of tools and tips to use this intervention successfully.

Dr Margot Sunderland

Director of Education and Training at The Centre for Child Mental Health, Director of Innovation and Research Trauma Informed Schools UK, Honorary Visiting Fellow at London Metropolitan University and Child Psychotherapist with over thirty years’ experience of working with children and families.

Trained initially in Child psychotherapy with John Hood Williams (former Principal - Institute of Child Psychology - Lowenfeld training). Worked for years as a child and adolescent psychotherapist in children’s homes and adolescent units.

Author of over twenty books in the field of child mental health, which collectively have been translated into eighteen languages and published in twenty-four countries. Internationally acclaimed book, “The Science of Parenting” (Dorling Kindersley), won First Prize in the British Medical Association Medical Book awards 2007 Popular Medicine section. Dr Sunderland has two doctorates, one in child psychotherapy, thesis entitled “The Application of Art and Science to the Psychological Treatment of Children.”