centre for child mental health
London
As a child, Rob Allen had wanted to be either a farmer, an archaeologist, or
Luke Skywalker, so no one was more surprised when he became a teacher in his
late twenties. Having experienced his own schooling as a perplexing ordeal that
was best avoided, he cites a combination of cross-country running and his
English teacher as the reasons he made it through to complete his education.
Whilst he acknowledges that the teacher is not a therapist, he feels they serve
an important therapeutic function since traumatised children regularly use class
discussions and their creative writing as a vehicle to disclose their
experiences. To this end, Robert A. Johnson, Irvin Yalom and Alice Miller were
more constructively formative in his early career identity than Piaget or the
Minister for Education ever were. Whilst he has worked as a pastoral lead across
a variety of age ranges, it has been his work as an unofficial mentor where he
has found the most satisfaction, acting as an emotionally available adult to
individuals with a variety of needs and challenges, and from diverse cultures
and backgrounds. He is currently employed by an independent school in Kent,
where he is Head of English, deputy- DSL, a CEOP ambassador, and a PGCE/ NQT
mentor. His current interests are in the application of Jungian thought to
educational models and supporting the work of Trauma Informed Schools.
