Dr Theresa Schwaiger is a Clinical Psychologist and Lead for Psychological Therapies in Clinical Services at Anna Freud. Following her professional doctorate at University College London, she has specialised in the assessment and treatment of children in and at the edge of care (including court assessments). She currently leads on projects aiming to identify and meet the needs of separated children and young people and has developed a clinical research project offering evidence-based trauma therapy to mothers and children affected by domestic abuse who reside in women’s refuges. She also holds a position as honorary teaching fellow at UCL on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, has published her clinical work in peer-review journals and has presented at conferences across Europe. Alongside these roles, she works in private practice with individuals across the lifespan.

She is a qualified Mentalization-Based Treatment practitioner, supervisor and trainer for Children, Families and Parents/Foster Carers (MBT-C, MBT-F, MBT-RP, MBT-RFP), and also has expertise in providing Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) for adults and children, Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (including trauma-focused CBT) and Transcultural Psychological Therapies. She speaks English and German.

Katherine Mautner, social worker and play therapist has developed and delivered training on short courses nationally and internationally for the Anna Freud Centre, the UK Trauma Council, children’s social care and at universities on postgraduate and doctorate courses. She regularly delivers training on the Neuropsychology of Parenting, Assessing potential for therapeutic parenting, Mentalization-Based Therapy for Children (MBT-C).

Domestic Homicide: speaking the truth with children

Katherine and Theresa have developed a one-day online course to support professionals to provide the best help to families following bereavement caused by domestic abuse or child abuse. Through several years of clinical work together in the Family Trauma team at the Anna Freud Centre and in other roles since, Katherine and Theresa have gained experience and expertise in working with families affected by the particular trauma that occurs when one family member has been killed by another. They are members of an international collaboration on domestic homicide led by Professor Eva Alisic at Melbourne University that includes researchers, clinicians and advocates, including members with lived experience and are part  of an International Community of Practice for the Study of Domestic Homicide led by Professor John Devaney at the University of Edinburgh. 

This training provides a framework for frontline workers supporting children and families. It brings together the current evidence in meeting the needs of children and families and provides guidance for working with the professional system that can become frozen or split following the traumatic death.