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Talks

Laura Santos

University of Coimbra

Currículum vitae

Laura Santos holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Health Psychology. She worked in a Residential Foster Home belonging to CrescerSer, where she developed the Projet’Ar-te project with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. This project covered the development, implementation and evaluation of a programme for the development of autonomy skills for young people in foster care and a support structure for young people in the post-care period. Laura is currently a PhD student in Forensic Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Coimbra and researcher at the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention (CINEICC). In her PhD thesis, she developed and piloted a Compassionate Mind Training Program for Caregivers and published several articles in international journals.

Talk
Thursday, 30 November at 9:30

“Promotion of an affiliate mindset in the foster care of children and youth at risk: results of a clinical trial with an impact on caregivers and emotional climate in foster care homes”

Caregivers play a critical role in foster care. They are role models who can shape healthy and adaptive relational dynamics and emotion regulation strategies. However, caregivers face situations of emotional stress on a daily basis and deal daily with young people with potentially traumatic life stories.

Compassion, a motivation to care that can be trained and cultivated, involves being in touch with suffering and easing its pain, either in others or in ourselves. It thus becomes essential that the caregiver can cultivate a compassionate mind, not only to regulate their own emotions, but to be able to validate and respond appropriately to the emotional experience of young people without reacting reactively and critically. Therefore, we will be able to develop a safe and supportive relational space, which promotes restorative experiences, capable of responding to the emotional and binding needs of young people in foster care.

The Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers (CMT-C) program is designed to promote a mindset of affiliation, thinking about an improvement in the care provided in residential care. It is a structured program of 12 group sessions, aimed at multidisciplinary groups in which all those who provide care to young people at risk participate.

In this conference, the contents and methodologies of CMT-C will be described, as well as the main results on its efficacy, evaluated in a randomized clinical trial by clusters. A total of 77 caregivers from 12 foster care homes in Portugal participated in this study. This survey has demonstrated the benefits of the CMT-C program in residential foster care, proving to be effective in promoting more affiliative, safe and healthy environments for those who live and work in these homes.

Amaia Bravo Arteaga

University of Oviedo

Belén Urosa

Comillas Pontifical University

Carlos Rosón

IGAXES - Galicia

Cristina Blanco

Department of Social and Youth Policy of Galicia’s Government

Cristina Segura Talavera

Social Inclusion Director at La Caixa Foundation - Program Incorpora

Cristóbal Ruiz-Román

University of Málaga

Daniel Rijo

University of Coimbra

Diego Jesús Heredia Sánchez

Association Engloba, Andalusia

Guillem Cladera

Natzaret Foundation

Joana Miguelena

University of the Basque Country

João Pedro Gaspar

University of Coimbra and paje - Support Platform to Former Foster Care Youth

Jordi Longás Mayayo

University of Ramon Llull, Barcelona

Jorge Fernández del Valle

University of Oviedo

Juan Carlos Martín Quintana

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Laura García Alba

University of Oviedo

Laura Santos

University of Coimbra

Lidia González Moreno

Itaca Educational Association, Catalonia

Mª Auxiliadora López Fonseca

ASECAL - Castilla y León

Mafalda Sampaio Malheiro Da Silva

San José de Braga Office

Marcos Madrigal

Identidad para Ellos y Ellas - Asturias

María Carme Montserrat Boado

University of Girona

María Escribano

Sustainability/CSR internal communication and culture manager at Alsea - Alsea Group

Núria Diéguez

IGAXES - Galicia

Paula Mesquita

Social Security Institute of Madeira, State Institute of the Autonomous Region of Madeira

Paulo Delgado

Education Higher School of Porto’s Polytechnic Institute

Ricardo Barroso

University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro

Robbie Gilligan

Trinity College Dublín

Santa Lázaro Fernández

Comillas Pontifical University

Sebastià Cladera Guardiola

Amés Foundation, Balearic Islans

Séraphin Alava

Militants Des Savoirs, Francia

Silvia Diana Jens

Cooperativa Redes - Madrid

Unai Zabala

Agintzari - Basque Country

Victor Martín Solbes

University of Málaga