The AAS project was premised on the belief that “an attachment-informed approach for all professionals working with children, including those within the universal services, offers the best prospect for effective early intervention for children, whatever their age or family situation” [12Furnivall J, McKenna M, McFarlane S, Grant E. Attachment matters for all – an attachment mapping exercise for children’s services in Scotland 2012.https://ddpnetwork.org/backend/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attachment-Matters-For-all-FULL.pdf: p. 8Pianta RC. Beyond the parent: The role of other adults in children’s lives 1992.]. It provided a coherent and integrated theoretical framework, discourse, and practice for all practitioners who work with children and young people.

The AAS project’s objectives were threefold: ´to improve learning outcomes and well-being for all children while supporting the needs of children with unmet attachment needs, including those who have experienced trauma and neglect; provide schools with attachment-based strategies to support children’s well-being, behavior, and academic attainment; and implement whole school approaches with targeted interventions to meet a spectrum of need, working with agencies and caregivers where appropriate. The focus is on the importance of attachment, attunement, and trauma-informed practice to address children’s individual needs. AAS aim to promote nurturing relationships that support the socio-emotional development and the learning and behavior of all children. It draws on reviews of relevant literature and the findings from a preliminary pilot study [11Parker R, Rose J, Gilbert L. Attachment Aware Schools: An alternative to behaviourism in supporting children’s behaviour?The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education 2016; 463-83.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-41291-1_30] ], literature in the educational field regarding whole school cultural change [13Fullan M. Leadership & sustainability: Systems thinkers in action 2005., 14Coe R. Improving education: A triumph of hope over experience 2013.], and practice contributions from experienced practitioners.

The AAS project was presented as a whole school program to support all children’s emotional and social development, as well as offering targeted support for more vulnerable learners. The principles of joined-up thinking and inter-agency collaboration firmly endorsed the concept of “the team around the child” and community-wide collaboration [15Anning A. Developing multi-professional teamwork for integrated children’s services 2006., 16Chivers L, Trodd L. Interprofessional working and practice: Learning and working together for children and families 2011.]. Indeed, as advocated by Grayson, the program advocated holistic interventions that favored parental participation to narrow the student attainment gap [17Grayson H. Rapid review of parental engagement and narrowing the gap in attainment for disadvantaged children 2013.]. By facilitating the development of empathetic environments, AAS aim to support children in developing their potential through improving their socio-emotional well-being and behavior. Where this is achieved, evidence suggested that academic achievement improves and the attainment gap decreases [7Bergin C, Bergin D. Attachment in the classroom. Educ Psychol Rev 2009; 21: 141-70.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-009-9104-0] , 18Cooper P, Whitebread D. The effectiveness of nurture groups on student progress: Evidence from a national study. Emot Behav Difficulties 2007; 12(3): 171-90.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13632750701489915] ].

The AAS pilot project involved a training phase and an action research phase. Practitioner training, often with online support, helped to equip staff with theoretical understanding along with practical, effective tools and techniques to use in settings. To develop a shared understanding and insight into attachment theory [19Attachment Bowlby J. Attachment and loss.11982; ] and the recent neuroscientific evidence that appears to support research in attachment and learning [20Siegel D. The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are 2012.-23Schore J, Schore A. Modern attachment theory, the central role of affect regulation in development and treatment. Clin Soc Work J 2008; 36(9): 9-20.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10615-007-0111-7] ], all members of the school were trained. Staff also undertook specific training in Emotion Coaching [24Gottman J, Katz L, Hooven C. Meta-emotion, how families communicate emotionally 1997.], a practice to help support children’s self-regulation of emotions. They were also made aware of the potential impact of trauma on the developing brain, behavior, and learning [25Shonkoff JP, Garner AS. The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics 2012; 129(1): e232-46.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-2663] [PMID: 22201156] -28Van Der Kolk B. The body keeps the score, brain, mind and body in the healing of trauma 2014.]. By utilising strategies such as Emotion Coaching, the AAS project created a nurturing infrastructure that bound whole school strategies into specialised, relational-focussed approaches. The training subsequently provided opportunities for staff to develop closer relationships with families, either informally or formally via interagency working, and by sharing the work being done in school and particularly the strategies being utilised by the school.

Over a period of one year, participants embraced an action research approach to implement AAS strategies and interventions into everyday practice and to adapt them to their own contexts. Staff tracked impact using case studies of children who were deemed to be “at risk”, such as in relation to their educational progress or at risk of exclusion. Schools were given individualized support to help record and report progress, clarify application of the strategies/interventions, explore the complexities and challenges of adopting attachment-based strategies, and general support for the action research process.

The findings from the AAS main mixed method pilot study are reported elsewhere and reveal promising results [29Rose J, Gilbert L, McGuire-Snieckus R. Attachment Aware Schools. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association; [Available from: http://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings/Annual-Meeting/Program/2016-Annual-Meeting-Program 2016.]. In terms of the impact regarding academic attainment, there was a statistically significant improvement in reading, English, and math achievement and a significant decrease in the number of students not meeting expected achievement, thus helping to close the attainment gap. In terms of the impact on the children regarding behavior, there was a significant decrease in exclusions (inside and outside of classroom). Child strengths and difficulties assessments revealed a statistically significant reduction in symptoms. Overall, 97% of professionals largely agreed that the AAS training impacted positively on their professional practice, 96% largely agreed that training impacted positively on adult self-regulation, and 99% largely agreed that training impacted positively on child behavior [29Rose J, Gilbert L, McGuire-Snieckus R. Attachment Aware Schools. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association; [Available from: http://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings/Annual-Meeting/Program/2016-Annual-Meeting-Program 2016.].

A recent review of literature and research on how best to improve outcomes for children and families was undertaken by The Centre on the Developing Child [30Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families 2016.http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu b]. They constructed a Translational Science Model (TSM), which acknowledges the contributory role that small-scale pilot intervention studies can play in improving outcomes for families and children, and for transforming lives and practice. Successful TSM projects operate as learning communities utilizing a cyclical process of learning and adaptation; are united by a common vision to support children’s well-being and progress; engage in shared learning to accelerate innovation; and promote the adoption of promising strategies and considered pathways for larger scale impact [30Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families 2016.http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu b]. The AAS model evidences many of these qualities, as it was designed to offer structured core components, but is flexible enough to accommodate the diverse needs of individual schools and settings to increase accessibility and applicability. Furthermore, along with specific intervention strategies, the AAS project includes common program materials to guide successful implementation processes. It also provided impact evaluation measures for development, adaptation, scalability, and cross-site synthesis. As suggested by the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University, this helps to support and identify “what works (or doesn’t) for whom, in what contexts, and why” [30Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families 2016.http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu b: p. 4National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Children’s attachment: attachment in children and young people who are adopted from care, in care or at high risk of going into care 2015. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng26].

To meet the full range of children’s needs, the AAS framework utilizes a “pyramid of support” [11Parker R, Rose J, Gilbert L. Attachment Aware Schools: An alternative to behaviourism in supporting children’s behaviour?The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education 2016; 463-83.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-41291-1_30] ]. At the top of the pyramid are the small number of high-need children who will require supplementary, specialist help, such as referrals to mental health services or specialist interventions. In the middle are those children who require some additional support within the school environment, such as 1:1 tutoring or nurture group provision. The base of the triangle represents the entire school (and wider community), who are supported through the provision of whole school training on relational models and relational actions, such as Emotion Coaching. Emotion Coaching resonates strongly with attachment-based strategies and has been correlated to secure attachment [31Chen F, Hsiao S, Chun H. The role of emotion in parent-child relationships: Children’s emotionality, maternal meta-emotion, and children’s attachment security. J Child Fam Stud 2011; 21: 403-10.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9491-y] ].

The AAS intervention strategies included whole school use of Emotion Coaching and more targeted, specialist interventions, such as Nurture Group provision and Theraplay^® [18Cooper P, Whitebread D. The effectiveness of nurture groups on student progress: Evidence from a national study. Emot Behav Difficulties 2007; 12(3): 171-90.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13632750701489915] , 32Weir KN, Lee S, Canosa P, Rodrigues N, McWilliams M, Parker L. Whole family theraplay: Integrating family systems theory and theraplay to treat adoptive families. Adoption Q 2013; 16(3-4): 175-200.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2013.844216] ]. Emotion Coaching is an evidence-based strategy that helps children to become more aware of their emotions and to manage their own feelings, particularly during instances of heightened emotions that can lead to misbehavior [24Gottman J, Katz L, Hooven C. Meta-emotion, how families communicate emotionally 1997.]. It instils the tools that will aid children’s ability to self-regulate their emotions and behavior [33Shortt JW, Stoolmiller M, Smith-Shine JN, Mark Eddy J, Sheeber L. Maternal emotion coaching, adolescent anger regulation, and siblings’ externalizing symptoms. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2010; 51(7): 799-808.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02207.x] [PMID: 20059622] ]. Emotion Coaching is based on the principle that nurturing and emotionally supportive relationships provide optimal contexts for the promotion of resilience in children. Children’s emotions are noticed and validated within a supportive relationship with clear limits set, where appropriate, followed by joint problem-solving with the child to develop more effective behavioral strategies [34Gus L, Rose J, Gilbert L. Emotion Coaching: A universal strategy for supporting and promoting sustainable emotional and behavioural well-being. J Educ Child Psychol 2015; 32(1): 31-41.]. Recent research in England suggested that an Emotion Coaching approach can reduce behavioral incidents in school and foster positive relationships between teacher and student [35Rose J, McGuire-Sniekus R, Gilbert L. Emotion coaching – A strategy for promoting behavioural self-regulation in children/young people in schools: A pilot study. Eur J Social Behav Sci 2015; 13: 1766-90.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.15405/ejsbs.159] ].

Randomised control trials have shown that children who are Emotion Coached have fewer behavioral problems, achieve more academically in school, are more emotionally stable, and have more friends [24Gottman J, Katz L, Hooven C. Meta-emotion, how families communicate emotionally 1997., 36Katz LF, Windecker-Nelson B. Parental meta-emotion philosophy in families with conduct-problem children: links with peer relations. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2004; 32(4): 385-98.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:JACP.0000030292.36168.30] [PMID: 15305544] ]. Studies demonstrate its effectiveness in supporting children with conduct behavioral difficulties [37Havighurst SS, Wilson KR, Harley AE, Kehoe C, Efron D, Prior MR. “Tuning into Kids”: reducing young children’s behavior problems using an emotion coaching parenting program. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2013; 44(2): 247-64.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0322-1] [PMID: 22820873] ] and those exposed to violent environments, including inter-parental violence, maltreatment, and community violence [38Katz LF, Hunter E, Klowden A. Intimate partner violence and children’s reaction to peer provocation: the moderating role of emotion coaching. J Fam Psychol 2008; 22(4): 614-21.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0012793] [PMID: 18729675] , 39Cunningham JN, Kliewer W, Garner PW. Emotion socialization, child emotion understanding and regulation, and adjustment in urban African American families: differential associations across child gender. Dev Psychopathol 2009; 21(1): 261-83.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579409000157] [PMID: 19144233] ]. Emotion Coaching has also been used effectively to improve the psychological functioning of children who have experienced complex trauma [40Murphy J, Havighurst S, Kehoe C. Trauma-focused tuning in to kids. J Trauma Stress ] and identified as a protective factor for children at risk [41Ellis BH, Alisic E, Reiss A, Dishion T, Fisher PA. Emotion regulation among preschoolers on a continuum of risk: The role of maternal emotion coaching. J Child Fam Stud 2014; 23(6): 965-74.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9752-z] [PMID: 28572715] ].

Attachment research has shown how ‘emotion-focused talk’ by the adult can teach children to use appropriate strategies to cope with stress [42Bowlby J. A secure base: Clinical applications of attachment theory 1988., 43Schore A. Affect regulation and the origin of the self: The neurobiology of emotional development 1994.]. Empathic and dialogic interaction enables children to feel appreciated; to explore their feelings and relationships; to reflect with others and to confront their anger, fear and anxiety, rather than projecting them through challenging behavior [44Matthews B. Engaging education: Developing emotional literacy, equity and co- education 2006.]. The narrative provided by Emotion Coaching creates a communicative context for a child’s emotional experiences to be explicitly and meaningfully processed within a relational dyad, and resonates with Siegel’s work on interpersonal neurobiology [20Siegel D. The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are 2012.]. It can operate as a stabilizing factor to enable children to focus their energies on learning and so help them moderate the challenges of school.

Hart’s consideration of psychodynamic strategies, based on attachment theory to support children’s behavior, recognized the importance of the relational model and relational actions [45Hart R. Classroom behaviour management: Educational psychologists’ views on effective practice. Emot Behav Difficulties 2010; 15: 353-71.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2010.523257] ]. They can help to address the meaning of behaviour, rather than merely the behavior itself. The literature further demonstrates the importance of stable, caring, and trusting relationships to promote success at school and beyond [46Kennedy BL. Educating students with insecure attachment histories: Toward an interdisciplinary theoretical framework. Pastor Care Educ 2008; 26(4): 211-30.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02643940802472148] ]. Agreeing with the CDC [30Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families 2016.http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu b], the AAS program acknowledged that “children develop within an environment of relationships that begins in the family but also involves other adults who play important roles in their lives such as teachers and other school staff” [30: pCenter on the Developing Child at Harvard University. From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families 2016.http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu b. 5Bowlby J. A secure base: Clinical applications of attachment theory 1988.].

Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on educational achievement, school climate, and behavior, as well as an effect on teachers’ functioning [47Desforges C, Abouchaar A. The impact of parental involvement, parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment: A literature review 2003., 48Strier M, Katz H. Trust and parents’ involvement in schools of choice. Educ Manage Adm Leadersh 2016; 44(3): 363-79.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1741143214558569] ]. Research reviews indicated that schools that have strong links with parents and engage with the community secure higher academic achievement [17Grayson H. Rapid review of parental engagement and narrowing the gap in attainment for disadvantaged children 2013.]. Therefore, as part of a wider target to improve outcomes and life chances for all children, parental engagement has been the focus of UK government policy. Supporting parents to increase their knowledge and skills in managing behavior is viewed as a key target and benefit [49Goodall J, Vorhaus J. Review of best practice in parental engagement 2011.].

Goodall and Vorhause [49Goodall J, Vorhaus J. Review of best practice in parental engagement 2011.] outlined 3 main areas for promoting engagement – home-school links, support and training for parents, and family/community based interventions. Two key principles woven throughout these areas include building positive relationships and whole school approaches. Interventions should always be informed by parental needs within the context of a whole school improvement strategy. Epstein, Sanders, Salinas, Jansorn, and Voorhis’s [50Epstein JL, Sanders MG, Simon BS, Salinas KC, Jansorn NR, Voorhis FL. School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action 2002.] model of parental involvement advocates supporting parents with parenting skills and understanding of child development, as parental involvement¹ helps enhance the relationship between teachers and parents [48Strier M, Katz H. Trust and parents’ involvement in schools of choice. Educ Manage Adm Leadersh 2016; 44(3): 363-79.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1741143214558569] ].

Integral to all the case studies was the way in which the AAS program and accompanying strategies facilitated communication between families and school staff, such as the provision of review meetings and the particular strategies being adopted by the schools as part of the project. The review meetings were conducted in a spirit of mutual respect and equitable relationships as advocated by the literature [17Grayson H. Rapid review of parental engagement and narrowing the gap in attainment for disadvantaged children 2013., 48Strier M, Katz H. Trust and parents’ involvement in schools of choice. Educ Manage Adm Leadersh 2016; 44(3): 363-79.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1741143214558569] ].

The review meetings also enabled parents or carers to sustain their engagement and participate in the process of supporting the child. Case study 9 reflects how the communication between the school and home was enhanced through the school’s attachment-based understanding of the child’s behavior. This provided staff with an alternative and constructive way of approaching the child’s “meltdowns,” and an opportunity to engage positively with the parents to model practical support. Similarly, a parent of the case study 10 expressed her gratitude and relief to the school about the opportunity the review meetings provided to “talk with people who understand [her child’s] world.” This parent went on to comment that since her child had attended the school it had “provided light and hope after a long period of uncertainty. ” She felt that her child had made significant progress since attending an “attachment aware school … getting an education, socialising with his peers, and having fun, all of which were missing for a long time.” This parent had strong views that working with the school had helped to create a “foundation for a brighter future, and for that we are very grateful.” This suggests that the AAS approach supported a sustainable positive attitude towards, and relationship with, the school. This impact is echoed in the following quote from the parent of case study 8 who declared “I had arrived at school in a distressed state with a feeling of complete despair [and] feeling very helpless, but left feeling very positive and motivated.” She thanked the school for “the hope you gave me” and for believing “that my son is not a lost cause.”

Another dimension to this theme was the increased parental confidence in the school’s ability to manage their child, which in turn improved home-school engagement. In case study 1, the family had been identified by the Local Authority’s Connecting Families Program, which formed part of the Government’s “Troubled Families” Initiative, which was launched in 2012 [582015.https://www.gov.uk]. Emotion Coaching had a significant impact on the mother’s engagement with the school and her own approach in relating to and managing her son. Although she was keen to end her support from the Connecting Families Program, she wanted to remain engaged with the school, and her working with the school increased. The contact was voluntary with the mother attending the school to work alongside staff in using Emotion Coaching with her child. As a result, internal and fixed term exclusions for her child dropped dramatically. This active and positive engagement by the mother implies that the working relationship between home and school was more reciprocal and that parental trust in the school increased. There also appeared to be a greater sense of shared understanding and connectivity between the teacher and the parent. The mother began to undertake home learning activities provided by the school, suggesting increased receptivity to school initiatives.

A key aspect of this theme is the way in which the AAS program facilitated the sharing and transferability of a common strategy that could be used in both the home and school. This became a vehicle for home-school engagement, facilitating a stronger working relationship between school staff and the child’s caregivers. This relates to the second key theme of sharing and modelling common strategies.

All the case studies testified to the value of sharing and modeling a common practice (Emotion Coaching) that could be used in both the school and home, creating consistency and continuity for the child. A quote from the mother of case study 8 child expresses this: “I thank you for your time and efforts in helping introduce a new technique to help control my son’s behavior².” According to staff, the mother in case study 1 was able to transform the way in which she responded to her child’s behavior by, for example, adapting “her tone of voice when talking to him.” The staff also used Emotion Coaching with the mother herself in order to model a calming, shame-avoidant approach. In this way she could experience and then use Emotion Coaching with her child, and the parent testified to the way she had since changed how she communicated with her child.

Emotion Coaching was also used effectively between home and school to support the child in case study 4, who was finding coming to school very difficult and separating from parents very challenging. This collaborative approach enabled to child to “detach from Mum without worrying or running away.” The child was also witnessed using Emotion Coaching himself with other children when they had difficulties with their behavior in school.

The way in which the AAS program facilitated transformations in parental practices and guided parents into new ways of approaching their child’s behavior is also reflected in case study 9. The parent talked about the discussion she had with school staff, which provided her with a different way of responding to her child, leading to better outcomes. She commented: “I realized that I had to catch up with where [child’s name] was emotionally … and handle situations in a different way.” She described how learning to validate and acknowledge her child’s emotions and how understanding “feelings were ok but not the behavior, totally changed the way [child’s name] responded to the situation.”

Case study 3 exemplifies how the AAS training deepened staff’s understanding of attachment and attachment difficulties, and gave insight into children’s emotions and behavioral expression. Staff knowledge was often shared with parents and caregivers to ameliorate and help re-frame their perceptions and attitudes towards their child’s behavior. The foster carers of a Looked After Child initially viewed the child’s behavior as a “presentation of defiance” that was “within his control.” Talking and working with staff helped the foster carers to develop a better understanding of the child’s emotions, and the difficulties he had in regulating his behavior. At a review meeting, the carers confirmed that they found using Emotion Coaching had resulted in calmer behavior and less incidents of physical aggression at home and school. In addition to a de-escalation of incidents, the carers experienced increased empathy and an improved relationship with their foster child. Improved family dynamics was another key theme identified within the case studies.

With the Emotion Coaching, parents became more aware of their own and their children’s emotions, what Gottman et al. [24Gottman J, Katz L, Hooven C. Meta-emotion, how families communicate emotionally 1997.] referred to as meta-emotion philosophy. Meta-emotion philosophy reflects the integration of values, beliefs, and awareness of personal emotions and the emotions of others, and being able to take these into account when interacting. The changes outlined in the previous theme testify to adjustments made in how parents perceived and interacted with their child. This then had a positive impact on family dynamics as one parent (case study 9) explicitly commented:

“The dynamics within our household changed for the better. The next time [child’s name] was upset and angry, I used this approach [Emotion Coaching]. He was able to engage with me and calmed down quickly. I have practiced this a few times now and each time it has worked and has therefore been a positive experience…. Peace and calm has been returned to the family home.”

The family of child case study 2 also benefitted as a result of the work of staff involved in the AAS project. The staff described the family dynamics as “a vicious cycle of behaviors.” The case study child was on the autistic spectrum, and his anxieties were manifesting as violent outbursts at school and at home. His mother was struggling to deal with both his and his brother’s behavior without herself dysregulating. The case study child’s sibling was demonstrating poor academic progress, lack of peer engagement, and low self-esteem. Through the use of the shared strategy, Emotion Coaching, the mother was able to recognize her own feelings towards her situation and her sons. The realization and validation allowed her the emotional space and time to reflect and calm, and so respond to her child differently. As a result, she noticed his outbursts were reduced and he became less violent. Moreover, the mother was able to then Emotion Coach the older brother, and to better recognize his feelings, which had included anger and jealousy towards his sibling and towards his mother. He also talked to her more and expressed how isolated he had been feeling. As a consequence, she declared that “home is a calmer place. School for both boys has improved greatly.” The case study child’s brother was noted to be happier at school, have more appropriate social engagement with his peers, and enjoyed increased academic progress. He reported that he now felt more connected to his mum and “less angry with his brother.” He talked about how he could now tolerate his brother's condition, and “understand him more.” The mother expressed how she felt calmer in managing her child’s autism, and how this was supporting him to be calmer at home.

Another notable example of how the AAS project led to greater family awareness of emotions, more positive family dynamics, and greater family cohesion is illustrated in case study 5. Prior to the school’s engagement in the AAS program and use of Emotion Coaching, this child was extremely disruptive and defiant. He was physically violent with staff and aggressive with his peers. Not only did the staff see an improvement in his ability to self-regulate, a decrease in the levels of aggression and length incidents, they testified to improvements in his ability to talk through his feelings and problem-solve, making better choices for his behavior These changes were echoed in the home. The parents stated that they have seen an “amazing difference” in the child’s behavior: “he is like a different child compared to how he was a year ago.” They reported this had “a massive impact on the family” and went on to say:

“A year ago we couldn’t go anywhere as [child’s name] would play up so much that we would avoid going anywhere. He has been able to cope a lot better and we have been able to spend some quality time together as a family. The main difference is that his levels of aggression have decreased and he is talking more about how he is feeling … he will listen to suggestions about how to cope with situations that scare or worry him.”

In case study 6, Emotion Coaching was believed to have positively contributed to the development of the child’s meta-emotion philosophy. This teenage girl had difficulties in her home life with her mother having mental health issues and also had problems with her own self-care. As a result of the project, the child increased her self-confidence and awareness of her own needs and the needs of others. She shared with staff how she had “learnt to empathise with how mum is feeling and recognised the need for help herself.”