An evaluation of the neurosequential model of therapeutics to guide trauma-informed foster care in the New Zealand context : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
Loading...
Files
Date
2024-05-12
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
The health and well-being of children in foster care remain a clinical, as well as public health concern, both internationally and in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Children in care often have histories of significant trauma exposure, in particular to abuse, neglect and domestic violence. The link between adverse childhood experiences and poor adult outcomes in physical, mental, emotional, and social health, is well established in the literature and necessitates further research on responding to and treating children exposed to complex trauma in early life. Trauma-informed foster care has emerged in recent years as an intentional therapeutic approach to responding to the complex needs of children in care. The objective of this present study is to contribute to the field of evidence-based family trauma-informed foster care in the New Zealand context. The focus of this dissertation is on evaluating the use of a neurodevelopmental clinical problem-solving tool, the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), developed by Dr Bruce Perry from The Neurosequential Network, to guide a trauma-informed and therapeutic approach to family foster care standards within the context of a New Zealand social service organisation. A mixed-method research design was used to explore the experiences of foster parents and frontline staff involved in using and implementing this model, as well as conduct an initial outcome evaluation of its impact on children’s mental health difficulties and behavioural functioning. The results of the study suggest that the NMT is a useful and relevant tool to guide trauma-informed care in the New Zealand foster care context, and is associated with promising positive outcomes.
Description
Keywords
Traumatic neuroses, Treatment, Foster home care, New Zealand, Psychological aspects, Foster children, Psychology, Children, Māori, Mental health, adverse childhood experiences, neurodevelopment, trauma-informed foster care, family foster care, New Zealand social service organisation