Our approach, values and DDP

Dyadic Developmental Practice or DDP is an approach that appreciates the impact of childhood developmental trauma and which supports adoptive parents to emotionally connect with their child to help them to build security and trust.

It brings together attachment theory, what we understand about developmental trauma, the neurobiology of trauma, attachment, and caregiving, intersubjectivity theory and child development. This knowledge base is shared with adoptive parents throughout their journey with ACE:

I have found them (ACE) to be using a stronger DDP approach as they have focused on building a relationship with their families in which the parents can feel safe and able to express how they are feeling about their children.

– Therapeutic Provider

Central within DDP is PACE, a way of thinking which deepens the emotional connections in our relationship with others.

Playfulness brings enjoyment to the relationship. Acceptance creates psychological safety. When we curiously explore within a relationship, we express a desire to know the other more deeply. Empathy communicates our curiosity and acceptance, as we recognise and respond to the other’s emotional experience.

Staff have empathy for parents who need to be given more time and space to reflect on their own experience and the impact their child is having upon them, before being expected to be ready to reflect and think about their child’s experience.

– ACE manager

We are pleased to announce that ACE has been become the first Adoption Service in the world to be become a certified Dyadic Psychotherapy Practice.

The DDPI board unanimously approved the final end point review of your organizational certification process in December 2020. The documents that we received gave such compelling evidence of how DDP has been woven into every aspect of the agency as well as clearly articulated plan for moving forward.

– DDPI Connect Board

Experienced adoptive parents have shared with us how helpful they have found DDP informed interventions.