This paper reports the two phases of an evaluative study looking at the impact of Thrive training. A small Local Authority (LA) in the South West of England commissioned this study. In phase-one, Thrive trainees completed Likert-type questionnaires about the three areas below: • Perceived relationships with children with BESD; • Self-efficacy in managing children’s BESD; and • Causes to which BESD can be attributed. Data were taken from Thrive trainees who attended either the one-day Thrive training or the nine-day Thrive training. Thrive trainees (n= 60) completed questionnaires before training began and after training had finished. The questionnaire comprised three established scales, investigating the three areas listed above. Data gathered was quantitative and analysis was designed to show differences between participants’ ratings before and after completing the Thrive training. For the nine-day training, results show an overall increase in trainees’ perceived relationship quality, and self-efficacy in managing children’s BESD. It was also seen that Thrive trainees attributed the existence of challenging behaviour to causes thought to be beyond the child’s control yet within the provision control. Findings were less evident for the one-day training. These results are related to past research and conclusions are drawn about the efficacy of the Thrive training. In phase-two, eight participants were randomly selected from the sample used in phase-one. Participants were interviewed through the process of hierarchical questioning and contextual focusing and qualitative data was gained. The focus of phase-two was to investigate what changes (if any) Thrive trainees identified as occurring due to their attendance on the Thrive training as well as which factors (if any) within the Thrive training particularly facilitated change in each of the areas measured in phase-one (perceived relationship building, self-efficacy and causal-attributions). Thematic analysis was used to draw themes from participants’ responses. Results show that Thrive trainees discussed changes in their behaviour; thoughts; feelings; and personal attributes. Results also found that Thrive trainees attributed these changes, as well as changes relating to the three areas measured quantitatively in phase-one, to specific factors within the Thrive training. These include: • The delivery style; • The Thrive model and specific training content; and • Other mediating factors. Results are discussed with reference to past research; conclusions are drawn about the efficacy of the Thrive training and some general implications for the LA for whom the current research was conducted, as well as for educational psychology practice, are reported.

Au Québec, les tentatives de suicide chez les adolescents prennent une ampleur considérable dans le réseau public de la santé et un nombre élevé de ces adolescents suicidaires sont épris d’un trouble de personnalité limite (TPL). Ces adolescents TPL présentent de nombreuses crises associées aux conduites suicidaires et aux comportements d’automutilation les amenant à consulter des professionnels de la santé de manière récurrente due, entre autres, aux abandons prématurés de la thérapie. Considérant cette problématique préoccupante, ce mémoire s’est intéressé aux facteurs impliqués dans la complexité de l’intervention auprès des adolescents atteints d’un TPL selon la perception des thérapeutes. Ce projet exploratoire de type qualitatif a été effectué sous forme d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès de onze thérapeutes de troisième ligne en pédopsychiatrie. Dans ce contexte de soins psychiatrique au Québec, les résultats de ce projet confirme la complexité de l’intervention auprès de ces jeunes et font émerger plusieurs facteurs pouvant expliquer les difficultés liées au processus d’intervention en lien, entre autres, à la symptomatologie, au risque suicidaire élevé, au risque d’abandons prématurés, à leur grande instabilité émotionnelle, relationnelle et comportementale influençant, par le fait même, le thérapeute dans son savoir-faire et son savoir-être. / In Quebec, suicide attempts in adolescents take a considerable extent in the public health sector and a high number of suicidal adolescents are often affected with a borderline personality disorder (BPD). These teens have many BDP seizures associated with suicidal behavior and self-injurious behaviors leading them to consult health professionals repeatedly due, among other things, to the premature abandonment of therapy. Considering these issues of concern, this study focused on factors involved in the complexity of representations of adolescents with BPD according to the perception of therapists. This qualitative exploratory project was conducted as semi-structured interviews with eleven therapists in third line child psychiatry. In the context of psychiatric care in Quebec, the results of this project confirms the complexity of working with these young people are emerging and several factors could explain the difficulties in the intervention process related, inter alia, the symptoms, the high suicide risk, the risk of premature abandonment, to their great emotional instability, relational and behavioral influences, for in so doing, the therapist in his know-how and life skills.

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