Music Therapy

Our in-house Music Therapist, Kath Bruce, has over a decade of experience working in adoption support services and has tailored the development of the music therapy service specifically to the needs of children and families at Scottish Adoption and Fostering.

Group (3)
Group 896

Who can access support?

Group 886 (1)
fi_45948

Adopted and fostered children and young people who may be experiencing challenges with identity, loss, or emotional wellbeing.

Group (4)

Adoptive parents who may require support and guidance at different stages of family life.

Group (5)

Foster families requiring additional support to meet the needs of the children and young people that they care for.

fi_171322

Adopted Adults requiring support to access birth records, counselling and reunions with birth family members.

Types of Therapy

Accessing support is simple:

Start your Referral Today
Group (2)

Theraplay

Strengthening bonds through play

Group

Art Therapy

Healing with creative expression

Layer_1 (1)

Music Therapy

Growth through rhythm & sound

Group 9

Occupational Therapy

Skills for daily living

Layer_1

Hypnotherapy

Unlocking the mind for deeper healing

Layer_1

Counselling services

Support when you need it

FAQs

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a psychological therapy that allows a person to access a psychotherapeutic intervention without depending on verbal processing. It is therefore helpful to children who are experiencing emotional difficulties or recovering from early trauma or neglect.

Learn More

Music therapy is a form of psychotherapy that allows a client or clients to engage in a therapeutic process regardless of their capacity for verbal communication. Musical communication (such as playing accessible percussion instruments or singing) is traditionally at the heart of the intervention and, being non-verbal, is highly relevant to clients with early trauma and attachment issues, as it allows early experiences to be revisited and repatterned.

Humans beings are innately musical: we are rhythmic beings, walking, clapping, heart beating in time, breathing in and out. Our earliest communications are vocal, we need to be rocked and sung to. We can see musicality as being at the heart of a healthy, safe, regulated and joyful way of being.

At the same time music therapy is a psychodynamic process, which means the therapeutic relationship, and the client’s relational patterns, particularly in the context of their past and present attachment relationships, are key to the process.

Music therapy is now widely recognised as a highly relevant form of support for adoptive families.

Learn More

What is Somatic Experiencing?

Somatic Experiencing ™ is an increasingly recognised treatment for trauma.

This is modal title

Somatic Experiencing ™ is an increasingly recognised treatment for trauma. SE understands trauma as the incomplete responses left in the nervous system after experiences that were “too much, too fast, too soon”, and cause dysregulation, to greater or smaller degrees, long after the event. By working directly with the nervous system to contain and process these incomplete responses, a client can achieve a greater degree of regulation and agency over how they interact in relationship to others and the world around them.

Learn More

What happens when a family is referred for therapy work?

In this highly tailored approach to adoption support, Kath, in collaboration with both the wider team, and with the family through assessment sessions, determines the best intervention which may involve individual work with a child/young person, individual work with a parent and/or dyadic work with a child and parent. 

Music Therapy

In this highly tailored approach to adoption support, Kath, in collaboration with both the wider team, and with the family through assessment sessions, determines the best intervention which may involve individual work with a child/young person, individual work with a parent and/or dyadic work with a child and parent. This is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure we have the best match of intervention to what a family needs and can benefit from. Kath is also in contact with parents between a child’s sessions to ensure good communication around the work.

 

Sessions take place at Scottish Adoption and Fostering's office and may involve the therapist working individually with the child or with parents or siblings as part of sessions; or group work may be offered to assist building of peer relationships and social skills. The therapist works closely with allocated social workers at Scottish Adoption and Fostering to offer support that is tailored to the needs of each family and child.

Learn More

Occupational Therapy

From our work supporting children and young people we recognise that early pre-birth and childhood experiences of trauma, neglect and abuse have an effect on the way children and young people cope with stress.

Occupational Therapy

Some children and young people may have underdeveloped sensorimotor systems which impact on how they make sense and engage with the world around them. They may be over- or under responsive to sensory input such as touch, sound, smell, taste, temperature, movement and visual input. This can impact on how they engage with daily activities and how they interact with people.

Our Occupational Therapist offers consultations and play-based assessments which is a mixture of structured tasks and non-directive play to gain an understanding of a child’s internal world and how they function on a bodily level and how this impact on their ability to regulate and relate.

A programme of movement-based play and sensory attachment activities and strategies may be developed to enable the child or parent/s to help the child overcome what they find challenging and feel more in control of themselves and their environment.

Learn about Occupational Therapy

Hypnotherapy

Adoption or fostering is a personal journey that can bring joy, challenges, and big changes. For those experiencing emotional ups and downs along the way, hypnotherapy can be a gentle and supportive tool to help with healing, confidence, and overall wellbeing.

Hypnotherapy

How hypnotherapy may help:

  • Building a sense of safety and security
    Hypnotherapy can help ease worries around trust, belonging, or abandonment by supporting a greater sense of emotional steadiness, acceptance, and self-worth.
  • Supporting identity development
    It offers a guided, reflective space to explore personal identity and make sense of how lived experiences, family connections, and relationships shape one’s story.
  • Easing emotional tension
    Hypnotherapy can help individuals gently soften emotional tightness or distress, allowing difficult experiences to feel less overwhelming while still remaining fully supported.
  • Managing anxiety and overwhelm
    Many older teens and adults affected by adoption or fostering experience heightened anxiety at times. Hypnotherapy can support calmer physiological responses, strengthen coping strategies, and create room to approach worries with more clarity and confidence.
Learn about Hypnotherapy

Adult Counseling

Find a safe and supportive space to explore life’s challenges. Our counsellors help you manage stress, relationships, and emotional well-being.

Adult Counselling

How hypnotherapy may help:

  • Building a sense of safety and security
    Hypnotherapy can help ease worries around trust, belonging, or abandonment by supporting a greater sense of emotional steadiness, acceptance, and self-worth.
  • Supporting identity development
    It offers a guided, reflective space to explore personal identity and make sense of how lived experiences, family connections, and relationships shape one’s story.
  • Easing emotional tension
    Hypnotherapy can help individuals gently soften emotional tightness or distress, allowing difficult experiences to feel less overwhelming while still remaining fully supported.
  • Managing anxiety and overwhelm
    Many older teens and adults affected by adoption or fostering experience heightened anxiety at times. Hypnotherapy can support calmer physiological responses, strengthen coping strategies, and create room to approach worries with more clarity and confidence.
Learn about Adult Counselling

Early Days Program

Our pioneering Early Days Program is here to offer extra support to new families as they settle into life together. It focuses on building strong, loving bonds in those early days through simple play and music activities. Sharing play and music with your child is a gentle and enjoyable way to connect, helping your child feel safe, secure, and loved. These early connections lay the foundation for your child’s wellbeing—not just now, but throughout their life.

Learn More
Group 955

How to access our services?

Our team is here to listen, guide, and support you. We will work with you to find the appropriate service for you and your family.

Get in Touch
Screenshot 2025-11-05 11.16.52 AM