Lovingly Alice

Product Information

A name that dominated the book was a legendary ballet choreographer named Balanchine who was notorious for favoring and ultimately marrying various ballerinas, a cut-throat intensity to push dancers beyond their physical limits and caution them to keep their weight down, or "lengthen". Despite multiple boundaries Balanchine would cross of propriety, iconic ballerinas worshipped him unquestioningly. Even after his death Balanchine's teachings dominated as the standard of excellence and would be employed by others.

Mum felt during our first session that when thinking about the ‘secure base’ element of their relationship the sense of ‘shared joy’ was very much missing. Children in foster care must experience a caregiver who has a curiosity for what is going on inside their mind, what are they thinking…how are they feeling? Loving, A & Shemmings, D. (In press) Working with cases of neglect and emotional abuse. In Fernandez, F. &Delfabbro, P. (eds) Child Protection and the Care Continuum: Theoretical, Empirical and Practice Insights. Crows Nest: Routledge, pp.121-142 I enjoyed this book overall, but the sections felt a bit lengthy because Robb had so much material to cover. I think the first-hand stories were stronger than the material incorporated from the broader ballet world.

Featured in...

Don't think, dear" is advice author Alice Robb got from her ballet teacher, and it sums up the ballet world quite well. Robb uses her own experiences, those of her classmates, and those of other public ballet figures to tell the story of this rigorous, pressure-filled world. Despite hard work, something as simple as the wrong body type can derail a once-promising young ballerina, like Alice's friend Emily. Those who do succeed will find themselves fighting through constant injury, like her friend Lily. The single-mindedness of the ballet world is almost impossible to contemplate as an outsider. Most children have items of food, toys or activities that they are particularly fond of, and others that they may dislike. For the parent to be aware of these likes and dislikes can demonstrate not only their attunement to what is in their child’s mind, but also the way in which they view them as an autonomous individual. Dr Loving is an honorary lecturer for the Centre for Child Protection at Kent University and has published work in the Child and Family Social Work and Children England journals. Her most recent publication is a chapter titled ‘Working with cases of neglect and emotional abuse’, featured in Child Protection and the Care Continuum. Shehas previously worked with Community Care, providing social workers with effective direct work techniques and producing guidance on understanding attachment relationships and writing about this in court. She was recently commissioned by Community Care to produce a practice guide on ‘Attachment Trauma’ and parenting. This question is an adaptation from George Kaplan and Mary Main’s (1985) ‘Adult attachment interview’ and aims to connect the parent to the child’s lived experience of the care that they provide. If you’re familiar with the ballet world, you’ll hear some familiar stories and the history of some very famous names, but there’s lots here that was new to me even as a ballet enthusiast. And if you’re new to the topic, this is an approachable and informative primer.

As well as informing assessments, asking questions like these, which prompt a parent to consider their child’s internal states, can help develop their capacity to mentalize with their child. You can also help parents to develop mentalization by modelling it yourself towards them. I have worked within the field of child protection for 11 years, across local authority and residential settings. For the past seven years, I have worked independently for local authorities, completing parenting assessments and offering mentalization based parenting intervention.I know how worried I can get when I leave my cats at home during a holiday, so I'd be sure to spend some quality time with yours, to keep them company and give them the attention they need. And I will happily send you updates and photos as often as you would like when you're away.

This is a peek into the (sometimes somewhat toxic) world of professional and serious ballet. It is also a mini-biography hodgepodge of ballerinas, some famous and some not.Any misattunement is likely to lead to further ruptures in the relationship, which will continue to impact negatively on the child’s internal working model of themselves. Keep my practice up to date and record how I use research, theories and frameworks to inform my practice and my professional judgement. The guide is written by Alice Loving, a practitioner, academic and trainer specialising in parenting assessments, attachment, trauma and mentalization. Alice is a lecturer at the Centre for Child Protection at Kent University.