Children presenting with behavioural difficulties or developmental delays can engage in a behavioural assessment. This process begins with a parent-only consultation where information provided on the initial referral form is explored with a therapist in great depth. The next stage of the process involves a direct assessment with the child in the clinic. The findings from the parent consultation and the direct assessment are then combined to form a set of therapy targets which form the road map for the child’s weekly individual therapy session.

Inside Out Therapy specialises in delivering early intensive behavioural interventions. The service works with children with a diagnosis of autism, or a related developmental delay. Intervention is guided by a rolling developmental assessment which takes place at the beginning of the child’s engagement with the service. Inside Out Therapy combine a behavioural approach with other play-based techniques to ensure that children with developmental delays can really enjoy their experience of therapy. Early intervention should not be a rigid or corrective experience. It should be based on the child’s interests, motivation, and preferred way of being in the world.

Young people live in a more complicated world than ever before. The challenges they face in school, with peers and social media are complex and often overwhelming. Inside Out Therapy provides emotional support for these young people. This facet of the service is underpinned by the blending of behavioural psychology with clinical psychotherapy. This combination of therapeutic approaches gives young people a safe space to talk about their difficulties, while developing greater coping skills to best manage their challenges.

Research shows that while children in therapy do well, they do even better when their parents and family are involved in the process. Inside Out Therapy provide parents with training so that therapy can follow the child from the clinic out into everyday life. Training targets are tailored to the child’s specific needs so that parents and family members can support them in the best ways possible. Parent training was originally pioneered in the United States, but the rest of the world is catching on to the potential for how helping the whole family helps the person in therapy even more.

Some children and young people have very specific behavioural difficulties. They may also not wish to engage in a course of intervention with a therapist. In order to ensure that all children can access supports in a person-centred and flexible way, Inside Out Therapy provides behavioural assessments and behaviour support plans in settings where the child needs this help the most. This can be at home or even at school. Typically, a comprehensive assessment is delivered which identifies the function of the behaviour in question, and then a plan comprised of very specific strategies is developed with the gaol of replacing the problematic behaviour with the skills that may be missing which causes this behaviour to occur in the first place. Behaviour support planning is a highly collaborative exercise and can yield great outcomes for children who may do better with this approach.

Inside Out Therapy provides training to teachers, special needs assistants, and other professionals or stakeholders working with children. The service is currently working with a range of schools and residential services providing workshops and training on a broad range of topics. Each course of training or workshop is developed and tailored to the individual or organisation. Certificates following training are provided to individuals who have completed a specific course. All training materials are included as part of the service.