Intuition is not Enough: Matching Learning with Practice in Therapeutic Child Care

Designed as a guide for trainers and academic staff as well as for practitioners working with the most disturbed children and young people, Intuition is not Enough explores the connections between the challenges of practice and of learning. The book introduces the ‘matching principle’ - the principle that, in order to be successful, training for any field of practice should ‘match’ or reflect key aspects of that practice in terms of personal and professional experience as well as academic content. Based on the work of a unique course at the University of Reading, the book includes accounts by staff and students of this special way of working - its rationale, its content and its process. The authors demonstrate how the developmental principles underlying therapeutic work with young people can influence the design and practice of training, how those who have experienced this form of training have been able to apply their learning in their own professional practice, and the struggles they have encountered in doing so. The book’s clear and accessible style will appeal to practitioners and trainers at all levels and in a wide range of professions, and it will be especially helpful for those responsible for designing and running courses in the fields of social work, counselling and psychotherapy. Paul Cain, University of Reading, Teresa Howard, Group Analytic Society and family therapist, London SW15, Deborah Best, Teacher in Secondary School Unit for pupils with emotional