DDP is a proven approach to supporting children who have experienced relational trauma, and to help them to find safety and healing.
Written by DDP expert Kim S. Golding, this visual guide is an ideal introduction to the core principles of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Parenting and how the model works. It offers concise summaries of key ideas, stories to explain what these ideas mean in everyday life and reflective exercises to support you in implementing the approaches.
Written in short sections for you to dip in and out of as needed, this book is perfect for parents, carers, students and practitioners supporting children whove experienced relational trauma.
Kim S. Golding (Author) CBE,BSc, MSc, D. Clin. Psy. AFBPsS is a clinical psychologist who works in Worcestershire, England where she was influential in the founding of the Integrated Service for Looked After Children - a multi-agency, holistic service providing support for foster, adoptive and residential parents, schools and the range of professionals supporting children growing up in care or in adoptive families. Kim was trained and mentored by Dan Hughes in the use of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). She was formerly on the board of the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Institute supporting the use of DDP in Europe, USA and Canada. She accredits and trains professionals in the approach and has been invited to speak about this work internationally.
Juliet Young (Illustrator) Dr Juliet Young is a Clinical Psychologist and author of An Illustrated Guide to Clinical Psychology. She has training in narrative approaches, systemic and community psychology and accreditation as a cognitive behaviour therapist. She runs the Instagram page, @creative.clinical.psychologist where she shares illustrations explaining concepts from her training and work. Find her on Patreon or on Etsy @CreativeClinicalPsy.
Quick, visual and easy to digest - the perfect primer for parents and professionals to understand how children whove experienced trauma can be helped by DDP
Dr Sue Knowles, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Lead for Child & Family Services (CMCAFS) Changing Minds Wellbeing Ltd
This book really helps you to truly understand DDP and how to be PACEful in your parenting, and relationships in general. Its incredibly relatable and easy to read, and it speaks directly to the reader, breaking down every element with clarity, warmth, and compassion. The beautiful illustrations add focus and depth, while the personal reflections and creative storytelling bring the concepts vividly to life. Complex ideas are explained in such an accessible way, making it feel like the author is right there alongside you. Full of empathy, insight, and practical guidance, this might just be my favourite book that Kim has written-and now that Ive finished it, I want to read it all over again.
Dr Karen Treisman, Clinical Psychologist, Trainer, and Author
This book is another gift from the wonderful Kim Golding. Kim distills the depth of DDP into an accessible, creative guide that speaks to the heart as much as the head. With warmth, clarity, and compassion, she brings the healing journey of trauma-impacted children to life-making complex ideas feel human, hopeful, relational, and practical.
Jonathan Baylin PhD, Psychologist and Author
DDP is a great model but it only becomes truly helpful when it becomes part of you. Golding does a masterful job of using storytelling to embed DDP in your nervous system, literally helping you take DDP personally. This is a terrific addition to the DDP literature.
Dan Hughes PhD, founder of DDP
The goal of DDP is to enable the child to understand their traumatic experiences and to discover new experiences of resilience and trust. The goal of Dr. Kim Goldings guide is to enable the reader to experience this process and utilize it in their work with these children and their caregivers. Her writing is so clear, so able to carry experiences, that this guide has become a companion for them as they journey with these children who need to develop a safer, more coherent story to describe their lives. In so doing, Kim has beautifully described the experience that is created by DDP. I believe that she will manage to touch and affect both the mind and heart of many of the readers of this guide.
