Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is a therapeutic approach developed by Daniel A Hughes over the past three decades. It is grounded in attachment theory and intersubjectivity, and is specifically designed to support children and young people who have experienced trauma, neglect, loss, and other dysregulating life events.
What DDP Is
DDP is a relationship-based therapy that focuses on strengthening the parent–child (dyadic) relationship. The term “dyadic” reflects the central belief that healing occurs within the interactions between the child and their caregiver. Rather than working with the child alone, the therapist typically works with the carer and child together, supporting the development of attachment security through safe, attuned, and emotionally connected interactions.
DDP aims to:
How DDP Works
Therapy begins with sessions involving carers only. During this phase, the therapist:
This preparation equips carers to respond to their child in ways that build safety and connection rather than shame or punishment.
The core therapeutic attitude throughout DDP is PACE:
Safety and connection are communicated through eye contact, tone of voice, gestures, nurturing touch (when appropriate), and shared positive experiences. Interactions are always reciprocal, not forced.
Progress in DDP happens through:
Over time, the child develops a coherent life story, understanding how past trauma or neglect has shaped their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. These understood reasons are not excuses, but essential realities for understanding the developing self. Creating this narrative is a key protective factor for attachment security and long-term mental health.
Overall Aim
DDP seeks to create a secure relational environment in which children can:
Ultimately, DDP recognises that healing from trauma happens within safe, attuned relationships. By supporting carers to respond with PACE and by helping children make sense of their experiences, DDP works to rebuild attachment security and foster long-term emotional wellbeing.
More information about DDP can be found at www.danielhughes.org or https://ddpnetwork.org/
Eye contact, voice tone, touch (including nurturing-holding), movement, and gestures are all used to communicate safety, acceptance, love, curiosity, playfulness, and empathy. These interactions are reciprocal, not coerced.
Opportunities for enjoyment and laughter, play and fun, are provided unconditionally throughout every day with the child.
Decisions are made for the purpose of providing success, not failure.
Successes become the basis for the development of age-appropriate skills.
The child's symptoms or problems are accepted and contained. The child is shown how these simply reflect their history. They are often associated with shame which must be reduced by the adult's response to the behaviour.
The child's resistance to parenting and treatment is responded to with acceptance, curiosity, and empathy.
Skills are developed in a patient manner, accepting and celebrating "baby-steps" as well as developmental plateaus.
The adult's emotional self-regulation abilities must serve as a model for the child.
The child needs to be able to make sense of their own history and current functioning. The understood reasons are not excuses, but rather they are realities necessary to understand the developing self and current struggles.
The adults must constantly strive to have empathy for the child and to never forget that, given their history, they are doing the best they can.
The child's avoidance and controlling behaviours are survival skills developed under conditions of overwhelming trauma. They will decrease as a sense of safety increases, and while they may need to be addressed, this is not done with anger, withdrawal of love, or shame.
The child may be held at home or in therapy for the purpose of containment and safety when the child is in a dysregulated, out-of-control state only when less active means of containment are not successful in helping them regain control, and only as long as the child remains in that state. The therapist or carer’s primary goal is to ensure that the child is safe and feels safe. The goal is never to provoke a negative emotional response or to scold or discipline the child but rather to help them to become safe and regulate their distress through the parents accepting and confident manner.
Providing specialist psychological services to children, young people, adults and families across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, including Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, Derbyshire, Sheffield, Rotherham, Chesterfield and Doncaster.