Our story
In 1948 Barbara and Stephen Dockar-Drysdale founded the Mulberry Bush School in Standlake in Oxfordshire, where they developed a new therapeutic model that remains at the heart of what we do today.
A new model
The genesis of their innovative thinking was Barbara Dockar-Drysdale’s experience of the challenges faced by children evacuated during the war who they supported in their mainstream nursery school.
The growing need for their approach led them to establish a permanent home for the School in Standlake in 1948 where the potential for residential care, education and community living to address childhood trauma was clear – this thinking has provided the foundations of practice at the Mulberry Bush since this time.
A DISTINCTIVE METHODOLOGY
The work of the Dockar Drysdale's was based on practice and experience alongside research and an academic approach which was eventually codified in a residential treatment methodology – ‘The Provision of Primary Experience’ in 1990. The thinking was born out of her many papers, which were published in her books ‘Therapy in Child Care’ (1968) and ‘Consultation in Child Care’ (1973).
IN 2002 THE METHODOLOGY WAS
DESCRIBED BY ROBIN REEVES:
Dockar-Drysdale’s primary experience seems to be an amalgam of the Winnicott concepts of ‘primary home experiences’ and ‘primary maternal preoccupation’. The term encapsulates what Dockar-Drysdale came to see as the essential element in therapy for children who had missed out on that early maternal provision her view of primary provision could be summed up by saying that it was a matter of the caring adult having to feel and act like a mother with her new born baby, and with the same preoccupation and sense of vulnerability. This is what the ‘frozen child’ required as an absolute condition of change."
A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY
Central to the thinking was the importance of close relationships with staff and nurturing experiences of living in a group setting – and a belief that even without specialised training’ ‘ordinary devoted carers’ could be critical to the care of traumatised children.
Whilst therapy still had a central role to play, it was a holistic therapeutic experience that mattered – where therapeutic interactions could take place within the routines of daily child-care routines.
A CONTINUING SHARED BELIEF
This thinking remains at the core of our work as it has grown beyond the school, to offer training and professional development to a broad range of organisations in different settings - in specialist and mainstream education, children’s homes, social care and youth and criminal justice - and through our insight offer through research, consultancy and thought-leadership.
Our history
School founded by Barbara Docker-Drysdale, her family initially sharing their home with children who had been referred.
New Quadrangle was built, with dormitories and groups rooms housing 36 children in one large group.
The school grew to house 36 children and staff.
School group living established. Housing up to 40 children, supported by 90 staff in 4 classes.
Outreach service established, supporting schools in need of advice and training.
Research service established and PETT Archive and study centre transferred to Mulberry Bush.
The Burrow, our purpose-built therapeutic children’s home was built providing 52-week accommodation and step-down care.
Consulting service established.
The Corner School joins the Mulberry Bush.