What is NMT and How Can It Help You and Your Family?

Written by Claire Burkemper

What is NMT?

NMT stands for “Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics” which is a clinical tool that was developed by Dr. Bruce Perry after his extensive work with children who have experienced trauma, and his background in neurobiology. NMT, unlike play therapy or CBT for example, is not a clinical modality or intervention but rather an assessment tool to structure developmentally appropriate interventions for clients. NMT assesses the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical functioning of a child so the therapist can provide specific interventions, both within the therapy room and to send home to caregivers, to meet a child’s specific needs.

I have often explained to parents that NMT is like diagnosing and making a treatment plan for the roots of a plant, instead of focusing on the leaves. You might be able to see behaviors in your child that are frustrating, upsetting, and hurtful (which are the leaves-what you can see) you can visually see that the leaves are drooping, turning brown, and in need of support. You may have some ideas as to why that might be happening—maybe you haven’t repotted the plant in a while, maybe you moved it to a house, maybe you know that you are overwatering or underwatering the plant. NMT seeks to understand what the plants roots look like to heal the plant. NMT wants to understand why the plant is growing the way that it is? Focusing simply on the leaves will help the plant, sure, but if the roots are not functioning healthfully not matter what you try at the top, your plant will still struggle. Now, think of the “roots” as our brainstem. Any disruptions to the development of our brainstem impacts all further development. Therefore, although there are interventions that we can do to address our “leaves” those interventions won’t fully address and heal the root of our problems until we provide interventions directed at the brainstem.

How does NMT help?

NMT helps clinicians, like me, and caregivers, like you! NMT will first help me, as it is an assessment tool to help me meet your child where they are at in both a neurobiological and developmentally sensitive way. During the intake process for NMT, extensive background questions and information is gathered to assess a child’s developmental history, relational history, and current level of functioning. This assessment will develop a brain map specific to your child. This brain map will highlight areas of the brain that are developing typically, are underdeveloped, and are dysfunctional in their development.

·       Typical Development: Typical development means that this part of the child’s brain is right on track and is not currently in need of an intervention.

·       Underdeveloped: An underdeveloped part of the brain signals to me that an intervention is helpful. This is not cause for panic or worry, but rather a sign that some more support is needed. Typically, families that are coming to therapy services are already feeling this, but don’t yet have a name for it or understand how to best support their child. Brain mapping helps us to identify where in your child’s “roots” is a good place to start for interventions.  

·       Dysfunctional: A dysfunctional area of the brain is where there has been a major disruption to development. This is often seen in children who have experienced prolonged, extensive, repeated trauma for a significant amount of time. Children with dysfunctional development often present with very challenging and disrupting behaviors in many environments. Providing interventions for a dysfunctional area of the brain is essential for a child’s healing and growth.

NMT also helps you, the caregiver. A clinician only meets with a child once a week, whereas you, the caregiver, are with your child every day. NMT clinicians will work with caregivers to develop a treatment plan that extends beyond the therapy room. NMT treatments plans are designed to be accessible and easily integrated into your routine. These interventions will be specifically tailored to meet both you and your child’s unique needs based on their brain map.

Is NMT right for my child?

The children and families that I see benefit most from an NMT assessment are children who have experienced trauma and displaying multiple behaviors which impact multiple environments in their life. If you are unsure if this applies to you & your child, you can assess by asking, “How would I know when my child doesn’t need services anymore? What would be different?” If you’ve just come up with 1 or 3 things, NMT may not be necessary as a child working through 1-3 goals is a typical range for other therapeutic interventions. If you came up with a whole list, NMT may be helpful to tease out those “roots” and distinguish which “branch” is essential for us to start with. 

(For further information regarding NMT please visit https://www.neurosequential.com)

If you think your child may benefit, reach out to us today!