Case study
Ayisha’s story
Ayisha (13) was eight years old when she was removed from her mother, due to high level neglect, trauma and suspected sexual abuse. She was placed with her current foster carer, Amy, at the age of 10.
Ayisha and Amy were referred to TIGER due to concerns around Ayisha’s potential exposure to sexual harm and the impact this had on her language and behaviour, including frequent missing episodes. Amy had a good relationship with Ayisha but felt out of her depth in relation to supporting some of her behaviours.
Ayisha was unwilling to engage with TIGER, however concerns about her remained, and Amy was keen to access support.
Amy struggled to understand why Ayisha wouldn’t engage with TIGER. We worked with Amy to enable her to better understand Ayisha’s trauma symptoms and support needs.
During the course of the work Amy gained greater empathy for Ayisha, and now understands why Ayisha was so reluctant to bring yet another professional into her life. Amy now has a better understanding of Ayisha and their relationship is much stronger. With the support of her TIGER worker, Amy was able to develop a safety plan with Ayisha. Ayisha has responded positively to her safety plan.
With arm's length support from TIGER, Ayisha has also become more open to expressing and exploring her feelings and traumatic memories with Amy, and Amy now understands that by the very nature of listening empathically to Ayisha, she is helping her wrap a narrative around traumatic memories and thus facilitating her recovery.