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SHINE Again is an organisation which aims to help and support children and young people with life controlling habits by developing their physical, mental and psychological well-being with a holistic and integrative arts approach .
Working alongside local agencies, SHINE Again aims to help create a safe environment for children and young people who are at risk of self-harm, abuse, neglect or any life threatening situations. We provide therapy, support, advice and training to the individual in need, to their surrounding family, carers, teachers or nurses.
SHINE Again is led by a trained Child Psychotherapist and any trainees who are currently training to be Art Therapists or Child Psychotherapists will be carefully monitored and supervised on a regular basis. SHINE Again has worked with Social Services from both Surrey and Berkshire and also works regularly in Roehampton Church School. SHINE Again currently works with the Extended Schools Programme in Wandsworth and provides individual therapy in 10 primary schools across SW15.
SHINE Again uses Art, Drama, Sand-play, Dance, Movement, Clay, Puppetry, Poetry, Music and Mental Imagery and is individually tailored for each child or young person. It is a new dynamic therapy for children and young people which enables the voluntary sector to work in the field of education improving attendance at school and improving the ability to achieve.
The History of SHINE Again
SHINE Again was set up as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee in October 2002 in response to the need to provide therapy to children and young people before their problems became too overwhelming and caused them to have serious psychological or physical illnesses. It was birthed out of our own family's experience, following a series of traumatic events which led our daughter to be an in-patient for two years in an eating disorder unit. As someone who has been anorexic and self-harmed during her teenage years, she has the empathy and understanding that goes a long way in helping children and young people face their problems and deal with their issues in the best possible way. The aim of our service is to provide the tools to help children deal with the difficult times they face in order that they are able to reach their goals both through education and in life.
Dee Thwaites studied at the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education in Islington and gained her Masters in Integrative Child Psychotherapy as well as a Certificate of the Application of the Arts in Therapy and Education and a Certificate in Adolescent Therapeutic Counselling. She has worked in Roehampton Church School, SW15 since October 2002, has done an Adolescent Placement at Woking Pupil Referral Unit, has had experience with children in care with Wokingham Social Services, Surrey Social Services and Hillingdon Social Services. She has also had a number of individual clients who self-harm and have eating disorders. SHINE Again received an NHS Excellence Award in 2003 for the outstanding service that we gave, whilst working in partnership with the Putney and Roehampton Mental Health Promotion Forum during World Mental Health Week. She has written a therapeutic story book for primary school children entitled "The Secret Code", sponsored by Wandsworth PCT for the schools in the SW15 area. SHINE Again currently works in primary schools across SW15 4 days a week with funding from the Extended Schools Programme and is proving to be a very successful programme.
SHINE Again also aims to give support to families who are affected by eating disorders, self-harm or behavoural difficulties and we look forward to developing our service in the future and working together with local authorities, schools and individuals to improve the quality of life of many of our children and young people who have been through traumatic experiences. We are very grateful to the Hinchley Charitable Trust, the Miles Trust and the Pest Houses Fund, along with Wandsworth Council - for their continued support.
Mo Smith, Chair of Trustees for SHINE Again
28th January 2012