New houses for Common Thread!

We have started the recruitment process and welcome applicants as of this time. We are looking for full teams including a manager. We use a thorough recruitment process to assertain suitablitiy for the positions. We are very confident in that process we employ and therefore some of those we employ will be highly experienced some less so. By clicking here you can follow the link to our vacancies page and complete the application online.

These are both spectacular places to live and are well on their way to being made ready for their first young people. They will be openning in the next few months.

Joe Nee, his work with Common Thread

Our teams have benefited from Joe's in put in many ways. On the large scale he has presented a number of times at our company days. Focusing on the insidious nature of those who are trying to access our children keeping us aware of the need to be vigilant of all but not fearful of expressing our selves with those we look after.

Some of our teams members have been lucky enough to work with Joe on an individual basis. Truthfully they and the young people they have been working with have gained hugely from the interaction. Of course local authorities have also gained from the improved professional input.

This month some of our teams will have a golden opportunity to have two days training with Joe in one of his specialties 'working with sexualized behaviours'. It is bound to be both hard hitting and fascinating for those taking part. The course will be re-presented around the beginning of September.

Julie's MSc DMP for all to see!

Julie Joseph our MD has completed a Masters in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. During that time she has presented at conferences several times in Scotland and at an the international arts therapy conference in Athens. Following her presentation and workshop at the Latvian Art Therapy Conference at the University of Latvia in June 2012 she has now been published. Her work has also beeen presented at a conference in Haifa, Isreal. Now with the permission of Queen Margaret University we have the oportunity here to see the work she did for her MSc dissertation. Please feel free to watch the video without reading the descriptive text, on it's own it is a powerful piece of art. However the text below does give the observer a much clearer perspective. I know you will enjoy it!

An artistic enquiry into a 12-sessions group with adolescents in a mainstream school Julie Joseph (2011), MSc in Dance Movement Psychotherapy, Queen Margaret University

This is the creative synthesis from an artistic enquiry (Eisner 1997; McNiff 1998; Hervey 2000; Finley 2005; Leavy 2009) that took place in
2010-2011 at Queen Margaret University as part of the final clinical project for the MSc in Dance Movement Psychotherapy. The research
question was: "How did a 12-session DMP group facilitate moments of holding with adolescents in a mainstream school?
The study was based on postmodern philosophical principles that valued multiple perspectives and in accordance to artistic enquiry premises it used artistic methods
to gather, analyse and present data. The methods included (i) art-making, in response to a question, by 6 adolescents (15-16 years old) at the end of each session, (ii)
video recording of therapist's movement responses to groups art after each session and (iii) reflective notes of therapist after each session. The
analysis included an ongoing 'dialoguing' with data and a final creative synthesis.
Findings revealed that holding took place through: (a) the use of objects that connected participants with their breath - and thus their own 'body' selves (session 5); (b) the relationship with another; a mirroring exercise between one participant and the therapist enabled this young person to 'be seen' (session 7) and subsequently to open up;(c) the relationship with the group; during the final session (session12), the group 'held' certain members while they revealed losses and issues around self-worth.

The video is the final creative reflection of the
researcher/student-therapist on these three moments of holding

Healing Moves

"But I'm not a dancer" Julie Joseph is quick to point out when we discuss the possibility of her adopting a dance pose for the photographer. In fact she admits she was horrified during her interview for a place on Scotland's first Masters degree course in Dance Movement Psychotherapy when she was actually asked to move`: "What was I thinking? Of course they would ask me to dance. Why on earth was I surprised?"

"We have always use creative therapies within Common Thread: art, drama and music, and we've seen how successful they are. "As a company, we believe in staff taking responsibility for their own personal development so it was right that I modelled what I believe and went into learning myself."

A significant part of the course was two placements: the first with the NHS in Ayrshire and Arran working with people in rehabilitation for addictions, the second with teenage girls at Maxwelltown High School in Dumfries. Julie described her work with the NHS as "a phenomenal experience": "I found the clients amazing. to be going through withdrawal from patterns so long established in their lives; they were so brave. And within the NHS I never saw a piece of work that was anything other than outstanding."

The second placement in education was a 12 week placement working with a group of 'potentially vulnerable' girls at the school, on self esteem and confidence issues. "Julie has taught us to talk to her and each other and express emotions" says one of the girls. "we've all changed in a way. It's been a confidence boost, an emotional boost. I feel happier. It was a place to just be free." (Paraphrased from Dumfries and Galloway Life issue 43 June 2011)