Services & Approaches
We honour our clients, the trauma, and challenging symptoms they experience. Developing connections, improving relationships. Evidence based therapy to help you and your family towards a brighter future.
Services for individuals, families, & organisations
Professional psychological assessments to plan the best way forward. Evidence-based therapy to help heal. Training and consultation to inform institutional practice.
However you need trauma-informed support, we’re here for you.
Services for individuals & families
Brighter Futures offers trauma-informed therapy for children looked after, families, and adults.
We will treat you with the compassion and empathy you deserve, whether you need support with your child’s behaviours of concern, or your own flashbacks. Whether you require help because your emotions feel out of control, or to better develop attachment with your child, we will support you.
Our practice is flexible and focused on you and your family’s needs, so if your child requires an autism assessment, full psychological assessment, or one of many different specialist assessments, we can achieve that for you.
Services for organisations
Brighter Futures works with adoption agencies, charities, schools and residential homes, bringing the same careful, relationship-led approach to every person we support.
We provide psychological assessments, with a variety of add-ons, like cognitive and sexually harmful behaviour assessments, as well as diverse family and individual therapies for adoption agencies and charities.
Our Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund therapeutic packages include initial assessments and post-treatment assessments.
We offer trauma-informed consultations, staff training, psychological input, and regular reflective practice for organisations.
Our highly-qualified clinicians put ethical practice at the centre of all they do, so everyone: clients, practitioners, and the public, are kept safe.
Therapeutic modalities
At Brighter Futures there’s no need to worry about what kind of therapy is best for you. We discuss your experiences and your preferences in your free initial consultation. We’ll work through it together.
Integrative psychotherapy
No single modality can treat every individual or family in every situation. People don’t fit neatly into books or single theories. Therapy should be tailored to individual needs and personal stories. Integrative Psychotherapy considers individual difficulties, goals, expectations and motivations.
Part of the process will be you and your therapist coming up with an assessment of your needs together. Developing a shared and thorough understanding of your difficulties and what led to them may be what you need most at this time. Perhaps you also need to develop strategies to reduce self-destructive behaviours, or nightmares.
At Brighter Futures, because our practitioners are trained in many therapeutic approaches, we can incorporate elements of many therapies within Integrative Psychotherapy. We may incorporate elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT); Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).
Because of its tailor-made approach, integrative psychotherapy is appropriate for many individuals and families, with many different kinds of difficulties. Integrative Psychotherapy is more than a simple combination, and each intervention equals more than the sum of its parts.
Dyadic developmental psychotherapy/DDP
We know how challenging it can be to raise adopted and fostered children, and children looked after under special guardianship orders. Adults can feel overwhelmed and under-prepared for the relentless, concerning, sometimes surprising behaviours they experience from children who can feel alien to them.
Children and young people feel out of control, unlovable, and inferior to others. They often don’t understand their own emotions and can’t say what they’re feeling. They communicate through behaviour. Their unbearable feelings are often expressed as behaviours which are unbearable for those around them.
DDP builds relationships between therapists and carers, creating a sense of support carers often haven’t experienced for a long time. Carers begin to feel listened to and believed, which replenishes them and builds their strength. Carers can then begin to understand their children, allowing them to feel listened to and understood, developing attachment between adults and children. DDP helps parents increase their children’s emotional literacy; helping them use words when they are hurting, rather than using behaviours which hurt themselves and others.
Non-violent resistance/NVR
NVR supports parents whose children’s behaviour is self-destructive, verbally or physically abusive, violent, or dangerous in other ways. Sometimes a child or young person's behaviour is so extreme, and so relentless, that adults can feel like they are constantly fighting fires, like there is never any progress. It can be overwhelming, exhausting, and frightening.
NVR is designed to help parents and carers reduce the behaviours they find most concerning in their children. NVR provides practical methods of working with young people in the moment.
NVR supports parents to resist these extremely challenging behaviours in non-harmful ways which deescalate situations and interrupt the cycle of conflict and aggression. NVR supports parents to strengthen their presence and demonstrate their authority through calm, clear boundaries. Restoring trust and connection is essential to bringing about change. NVR promotes supportive social networks, including extended family and friends, to reinforce young people’s feelings that they and their carers all belong to a community. NVR foregrounds reconciliation and teaches adults to maintain and repair the carer-child relationship.
NVR integrates well with trauma and attachment-informed approaches such as DDP.
Cognitive behavioural therapy/CBT
CBT is used for a great many many issues (e.g., phobias, anxiety, depression). Several therapies for extreme difficulties have grown from it such as TF-CBT and DBT. CBT tends to be favoured by those who want to develop concrete strategies for today's difficulties, rather than discuss what might have caused them in the past.
It is built on the premise that our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical sensations all influence each other. If we can change one, usually thoughts (cognition) or behaviour, the others will also change. CBT tends to appeal to people who like learning by doing because it uses evidence and worksheets, not just talking. It involves a lot of work between sessions, including logs and social experiments, so you need to be very self-motivated.
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy/TF-CBT
Trauma of many kinds can cause “re-experiencing” symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and memories, as well as less obvious symptoms like depression and anxiety. Based on evidence that exposure to traumatic memories will reduce traumatic symptoms, we will help you become ready to face those memories in a highly structured exposure treatment involving talking and writing.
TF-CBT will also help you develop coping strategies for daily symptoms like anxiety and irritability. TF-CBT includes several other components, such as psychoeducation on how upsetting symptoms such as flashbacks develop in the brain, and self-esteem work. TF-CBT is an individual therapy and often takes around 16-20 sessions to complete. You must have been living in safety for at least six months before beginning.
Dialectical behaviour therapy
DBT was originally a group therapy, but at Brighter Futures, we use DBT skills in individual and family settings only. DBT can be used to help treat extreme difficulties like self-harm, relationship difficulties, (family, friendship, and romantic), unbearable emotions, or emotional numbness. These difficulties can lead to impulsive behaviours as individuals try to cope with these overpowering sensations.
DBT addresses these difficulties through four modules, five for young people. The modules provide practical strategies for surviving crises without immediate recourse to unwanted, impulsive behaviours; relationship skills, including maintaining healthy boundaries and self-respect; taking greater control of our emotions; mindfulness; and avoiding extremes of thought, emotion, or opinion - the middle path.
Assessments & psychological services
Clarity. Understanding. Brighter Futures. An assessment is not about finding what is "wrong.” It is about discovering what has been missing. Whether you are seeking answers for yourself, your child or a young person you care about, we are here to provide compassionate, evidence-based assessment and support every step of the way. Because understanding changes everything.
Autism assessments
You may have noticed that your child has always seemed "different" but nobody has quite understood why. Maybe they struggle socially despite wanting friendships. Perhaps they find change or uncertainty difficult, or become overwhelmed by everyday demands. You may have noticed that your child experiences sensory sensitivities, or has intense interests or repetitive behaviours. Perhaps they appear to mask their difficulties at school but fall apart at home, where they seem anxious, exhausted or emotionally dysregulated .
Or perhaps you are an adult who has spent years feeling misunderstood and are beginning to wonder whether autism may explain your experiences.
An autism assessment can provide clarity, validation and a framework for understanding strengths as well as challenges.
Comprehensive, gold-standard assessments
Our assessments are only conducted by experienced, Chartered Clinical and Counselling Psychologists with specialist expertise in neurodevelopmental assessment and child development.
Depending on the individual, assessments are likely to include detailed developmental history interviews, ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), and ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised). Where necessary, richer and wider data can be gathered from clinical interviews, behavioural observations, information from schools, colleges or workplaces, consideration of co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, trauma and attachment difficulties.
We recognise that no two people are the same. Every assessment is tailored to the individual and conducted in a warm, respectful and neuroaffirming manner.
Understanding the person behind the diagnosis
At Brighter Futures, we believe that autism assessments should be about far more than answering the question, "Does this individual have autism?"
Every individual has a unique story. Behind every assessment is a child, young person or adult who may be struggling to understand themselves, navigate relationships, manage overwhelming emotions, cope with sensory differences, or find their place in a world that often feels confusing and demanding.
Our psychologists combine specialist expertise in autism assessment; trauma and attachment; child development; emotional wellbeing; family relationships; and neurodiversity. This means we can look at the whole person—not just a checklist of symptoms.
Many autistic individuals have experienced years of criticism, feeling different, and misunderstanding. We believe every person deserves to feel understood, accepted and valued for who they are.
Our goal is not simply to provide a diagnosis: it is to provide understanding.
More than a diagnosis
Receiving a diagnosis is only the beginning. Many families are left with questions such as:
"What does this mean for my child?" "How do I help them?" "How do we explain this to school?" "Why are they struggling so much?" "What happens next?"
At Brighter Futures, we are committed to supporting families beyond diagnosis.
Post-diagnostic support
Receiving a diagnosis should open doors, not leave families feeling alone. We offer a range of post-diagnostic support services, including:
Advancing with autism
Sessions aimed at helping children, young people and adults understand their autistic identity in a positive and empowering way.
Parent support and coaching
Practical guidance to help parents understand behaviour, reduce conflict, improve communication and support emotional regulation.
Emotional wellbeing for autism
Therapeutic support for anxiety, low mood, self-esteem difficulties, school anxiety and emotional overwhelm.
Neuroaffirming therapy
Helping autistic individuals understand themselves, build confidence and develop strategies that work with their neurotype rather than against it.
Sensory and emotional regulation support
Helping individuals identify triggers, understand sensory differences and develop personalised coping strategies.
ADHD and autism profiles
Many individuals experience overlapping autistic and ADHD traits. We can help families understand how these interact and affect daily life.
School consultations
Supporting schools to better understand and meet a child's needs through practical, realistic recommendations.
Full Psychological Assessments
A full psychological assessment is a comprehensive investigation and explanation of an individual’s developmental history and present circumstances. It includes a formulation, which is a shared understanding of that person’s difficulties. The assessment recommends treatments, educational and home adjustments, and any other proposals that may be required to give the individual their best chance to achieve their best life.
Full psychological assessments are usually recommended or commissioned for specific reasons. For example, to establish the mental health needs of a child experiencing significant difficulties attending school.
A full psychological assessment can be invaluable as guidance and as a supporting document when seeking support from institutions and agencies.
Often, the individual in question is a child looked after, adopted or in kinship care. Adults may also need a full psychological assessment. They may be in hospital, or involved in family court, for example.
As a comprehensive assessment, you should expect separate interview(s) with parents and child; a number of questionnaires; and the possibility of additional, specialist assessments, as well as several emails and phone calls. Drawing on our expert knowledge and further research, the final report itself will also take some time to compose.
Specialist assessments
Individuals may require additional assessments as part of their full psychological assessment, or a need may reveal itself during therapy. These will be discussed and agreed with you before they are conducted.
Some examples of additional, specialist assessments include cognitive assessments, and assessments for violent or sexually harmful behaviour. All of our psychological assessments are carried out by chartered psychologists.
Get in touch
Get in touch and speak to a practitioner directly for a free one-hour initial consultation to understand your needs. Together we will create a preliminary plan, including a number of regular, carefully paced sessions and a review. Reviews will be followed by a thoughtful ending or fully planned next steps forward.
Or just get in touch to ask a question!