chris shaldon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by chris shaldon

Research paper thumbnail of Losing ‘It’ or The Getting of Wisdom

Research paper thumbnail of The future’s bright, the future’s… BRIEF

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to read children’s emotional experience

Educational and Child Psychology

This study investigated the effect of a positive relationship between adult and child within the ... more This study investigated the effect of a positive relationship between adult and child within the learning to read process in school. Seven children, identified as having difficulties with reading, were interviewed. Two months earlier they had taken part in a two-week reading project that had involved daily reading for 15 minutes with an interested adult, who was not their teacher or classroom assistant. A social constructionist perspective informed the research. The emphasis was on reading as a ‘social act’ rather than merely a cognitive process.The two main areas of interest for the researchers were to find out how the children had experienced the specific intervention and to see what discourses the children used in their construction of reading.The participants’ language displayed complex discourses. Emotional factors connected with learning to read were strongly evident as were the individual learning approaches of the children. Reading was constructed as a powerful and desirable...

Research paper thumbnail of The DECP Conference Bournemouth, January 2002READ – ALL ABOUT IT… Press coverage of 2002 DECP Conference

Research paper thumbnail of Feelings, relationships and ‘being held’: The experience of psychodynamically informed supervision

Research paper thumbnail of Every team matters: The contribution educational psychology can make to effective teamwork

Educational and Child Psychology

Teamwork has never been more topical. This is evident not only in the practice of educational psy... more Teamwork has never been more topical. This is evident not only in the practice of educational psychologists but also in the dominant discourse surrounding government policy. Multi-agency collaboration lies at the heart ofEvery Child Matters. The underlying assumption is that multi-agency teamwork is the best way to work, ensuring the most complete and effective service to children and their families. While not disputing this, we feel that the complexities of teamwork are not sufficiently considered. This paper will address some of the central issues related to the psychology of teams from the experience of three educational psychologists. We consider the complexities of teamwork by drawing on psychodynamic, systemic and social constructionist thinking. A grounded understanding and practical application of the psychology of teams is essential to effective practice. We support this with some reference to our own varied experience of work with multi-agency teams. This understanding wil...

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction by the panel

Educational and Child Psychology, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of ’Major Tom to ground control’

Research paper thumbnail of A relational model of supervision for applied psychology practice: professional growth through relating and reflecting

Educational Psychology in Practice, 2018

Supervision is a critical component of initial training and continuing professional development f... more Supervision is a critical component of initial training and continuing professional development for applied psychology practitioners, and effective supervision is significantly related to the quality of the relationship between supervisor and supervisee. The core task of supervision is to engage in a relational process that provides containing and security, thus facilitating professional growth through reflection on experience. Two key arguments are proposed in this paper: (i) models that support theory-to-practice connections are essential for both supervisees and supervisors and (ii) models informed by psychological theory that place relating and reflecting at the heart of the supervisory process promote practitioner development and effective outcomes for clients. One model-the Relational Model of Supervision for Applied Psychology Practice (RMSAPP)-is outlined, and the systemic, psychodynamic and attachment lenses privileged within it are explored. The paper concludes with the strengths and challenges of the model, along with suggestions for future research directions.

Research paper thumbnail of The use of projective assessment with children and young people

ONE IN TEN children and young people (CYP) aged 5 to 16 has a diagnosed mental health disorder an... more ONE IN TEN children and young people (CYP) aged 5 to 16 has a diagnosed mental health disorder and around one in seven has less severe problems (DfE, 2016). Practitioners working in human services have a critical need for ethical, systemically relevant and psychologically informed assessments. Applied psychologists must be able to integrate data from the CYP, parents/carers and others – across home, school, and community systems and formulate assessment data in a way that provides insights into each individual’s subjective interpretation of themselves, their internal world, social contexts, and experiences. Of potential benefit are techniques that aid investigation of emotional and relational factors internalised by the CYP, which are often poorly accessed at a conscious cognitive level. Projective assessment is a set of tools associated with the exploration of such factors.

Research paper thumbnail of The Tavistock relational model of supervision for applied psychology practice: The significance of communication in the establishment and maintenance of the supervisory relationship

INTRODUCTION: Supervision of professional practice is a core aspect of developing competence in s... more INTRODUCTION: Supervision of professional practice is a core aspect of developing competence in school psychology, and in developing capability for qualified practitioners. Communication – conscious and unconscious – underpins the establishment, development and maintenance of effective supervisory relationships. MATERIAL & METHODS: Drawing on the clinic’s psychoanalytic, systems and attachment traditions, a model for the application of such approaches to supervisory practice has been recently developed. Recent mixed methods research into the supervisee’s experience of the relational aspects of the model is presented during the workshop and a case study illustrating the model’s practical application to clinical practice explored. Materials developed to support the application of the model are also shared. RESULTS: Key themes regarding the communication aspects of the relationship, especially in terms of provision of a ‘safe base’ and the dynamics of containment are explored further. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Losing ‘It’ or The Getting of Wisdom

Research paper thumbnail of The future’s bright, the future’s… BRIEF

Research paper thumbnail of Learning to read children’s emotional experience

Educational and Child Psychology

This study investigated the effect of a positive relationship between adult and child within the ... more This study investigated the effect of a positive relationship between adult and child within the learning to read process in school. Seven children, identified as having difficulties with reading, were interviewed. Two months earlier they had taken part in a two-week reading project that had involved daily reading for 15 minutes with an interested adult, who was not their teacher or classroom assistant. A social constructionist perspective informed the research. The emphasis was on reading as a ‘social act’ rather than merely a cognitive process.The two main areas of interest for the researchers were to find out how the children had experienced the specific intervention and to see what discourses the children used in their construction of reading.The participants’ language displayed complex discourses. Emotional factors connected with learning to read were strongly evident as were the individual learning approaches of the children. Reading was constructed as a powerful and desirable...

Research paper thumbnail of The DECP Conference Bournemouth, January 2002READ – ALL ABOUT IT… Press coverage of 2002 DECP Conference

Research paper thumbnail of Feelings, relationships and ‘being held’: The experience of psychodynamically informed supervision

Research paper thumbnail of Every team matters: The contribution educational psychology can make to effective teamwork

Educational and Child Psychology

Teamwork has never been more topical. This is evident not only in the practice of educational psy... more Teamwork has never been more topical. This is evident not only in the practice of educational psychologists but also in the dominant discourse surrounding government policy. Multi-agency collaboration lies at the heart ofEvery Child Matters. The underlying assumption is that multi-agency teamwork is the best way to work, ensuring the most complete and effective service to children and their families. While not disputing this, we feel that the complexities of teamwork are not sufficiently considered. This paper will address some of the central issues related to the psychology of teams from the experience of three educational psychologists. We consider the complexities of teamwork by drawing on psychodynamic, systemic and social constructionist thinking. A grounded understanding and practical application of the psychology of teams is essential to effective practice. We support this with some reference to our own varied experience of work with multi-agency teams. This understanding wil...

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction by the panel

Educational and Child Psychology, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of ’Major Tom to ground control’

Research paper thumbnail of A relational model of supervision for applied psychology practice: professional growth through relating and reflecting

Educational Psychology in Practice, 2018

Supervision is a critical component of initial training and continuing professional development f... more Supervision is a critical component of initial training and continuing professional development for applied psychology practitioners, and effective supervision is significantly related to the quality of the relationship between supervisor and supervisee. The core task of supervision is to engage in a relational process that provides containing and security, thus facilitating professional growth through reflection on experience. Two key arguments are proposed in this paper: (i) models that support theory-to-practice connections are essential for both supervisees and supervisors and (ii) models informed by psychological theory that place relating and reflecting at the heart of the supervisory process promote practitioner development and effective outcomes for clients. One model-the Relational Model of Supervision for Applied Psychology Practice (RMSAPP)-is outlined, and the systemic, psychodynamic and attachment lenses privileged within it are explored. The paper concludes with the strengths and challenges of the model, along with suggestions for future research directions.

Research paper thumbnail of The use of projective assessment with children and young people

ONE IN TEN children and young people (CYP) aged 5 to 16 has a diagnosed mental health disorder an... more ONE IN TEN children and young people (CYP) aged 5 to 16 has a diagnosed mental health disorder and around one in seven has less severe problems (DfE, 2016). Practitioners working in human services have a critical need for ethical, systemically relevant and psychologically informed assessments. Applied psychologists must be able to integrate data from the CYP, parents/carers and others – across home, school, and community systems and formulate assessment data in a way that provides insights into each individual’s subjective interpretation of themselves, their internal world, social contexts, and experiences. Of potential benefit are techniques that aid investigation of emotional and relational factors internalised by the CYP, which are often poorly accessed at a conscious cognitive level. Projective assessment is a set of tools associated with the exploration of such factors.

Research paper thumbnail of The Tavistock relational model of supervision for applied psychology practice: The significance of communication in the establishment and maintenance of the supervisory relationship

INTRODUCTION: Supervision of professional practice is a core aspect of developing competence in s... more INTRODUCTION: Supervision of professional practice is a core aspect of developing competence in school psychology, and in developing capability for qualified practitioners. Communication – conscious and unconscious – underpins the establishment, development and maintenance of effective supervisory relationships. MATERIAL & METHODS: Drawing on the clinic’s psychoanalytic, systems and attachment traditions, a model for the application of such approaches to supervisory practice has been recently developed. Recent mixed methods research into the supervisee’s experience of the relational aspects of the model is presented during the workshop and a case study illustrating the model’s practical application to clinical practice explored. Materials developed to support the application of the model are also shared. RESULTS: Key themes regarding the communication aspects of the relationship, especially in terms of provision of a ‘safe base’ and the dynamics of containment are explored further. ...