As My Oasis is a therapeutic alternative provision (TAP), a primary focus is on building students confidence and self-esteem, as well as reduce any anxieties by developing their coping skills to help them re-engage in their learning. Alongside our academic curriculum, we offer specialist psychotherapy and counselling, as well as a range of therapeutic skills-based activities to support a young person, which is tailored to their individual needs based on their Personalised Learning Plans (PLP). Delivering these specialist assessments and interventions onsite set us apart from most other alternative provisions in the area which often need to access this support through external services with long waiting list. Through My Oasis, we want to bridge the gap between health and education to ensure each young person’s needs are efficiently met and to give them the best possible chance at returning to school. More detailed information on the therapeutic support available at My Oasis can be found in the Therapeutic Support Section.

Due to the therapeutic nature of My Oasis, skills-based groups are offered consistently to students as a way of developing key skills young people need to help them cope with the demands of life. Examples of these skills developments include problem-solving skills to help students overcome any life challenges, self-regulation skills to learn ways to manage difficult emotions, emotional literacy and being able to label, understand, and talk about their emotions, developing social skills, as well as the ability to cope with change and uncertainty which many of the young people referred to us struggle with. At My Oasis we aim to build a young person’s coping resources by reducing their anxieties around learning or retuning to their mainstream school through helping them to realise that they can cope, and that it will often not be as bad as they think it is going to be. The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and the development of metacognitive skills to help young people recognise the impact of their thoughts on their actions and how they feel is one of the key elements involved in a student’s placement with us.