A psychotherapy practice in Hackney, East London
Trauma Informed Practice for NGOs
“Trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present.”
We offer a range of trauma-informed services for NGOs, including training, consultancy and group reflective practice.
As therapists with backgrounds in the NGO space, we offer unique insight into the the challenges of the sector, particularly the impact this work has on people and on organisations.
Our work is based both on our combined 30+ years working for human rights, environmental and social justice organisations, and on our experience working in the NHS and other settings treating a diverse range of patients with complex mental health needs.
Services we offer
Training and Consultancy
We offer consultancy and training sessions focused on trauma-informed practice, aimed at creating a deeper understanding of the impact of working with challenging or traumatic material, and/or with potentially traumatised people.
We offer training sessions and consultancy on:
- Understanding and responding to trauma and secondary trauma in the context of NGO work
- Trauma-informed practice
- Trauma-informed training for casework/legal staff
- Staff wellbeing
Reflective group practice and supervision
Staff and volunteers working directly with people in challenging situations, dealing with traumatic experiences or mental health problems are exposed to significant emotional turmoil, which can be difficult to process and make sense of. Long-term, this can undermine staff and volunteer wellbeing, resilience and sense of finding meaning in their work. Group reflective practice creates a space for people to talk and think about experiences like this in a small, supportive, and facilitated group.
These sessions give staff a regular and reliable space to reflect on their work and think together about the challenges they face, including their experiences dealing with anxieties, frustration, guilt, traumatic material and traumatised individuals.
Facilitated sessions are every two weeks or monthly in small groups of 4-8 people.
We offer:
- Long-term ongoing reflective groups for individual organisations
- Shorter-term reflective groups focussed on dealing with a particular issue or incident
- Support and consultancy for in-house staff planning ongoing team culture and wellbeing programmes, to integrate these concepts into their work.
Jessica Sinclair Taylor
Jessica was the Deputy Director of an environmental justice organisation, with nearly 20 years experience in the human rights, environment and justice sector, working on climate, child poverty, international development and women’s rights.
She has extensive experience with addressing complex internal and relational questions and supporting organisations to think about challenging topics, such as racism and oppression.
She is a psychotherapist in training, trained in psychoanalytic approaches to mental health, and has significant experience working with people experiencing mental distress and emotional challenges, including in the NHS.
Matthew Leidecker
Matthew is a psychotherapist with a background in human rights work.
As a therapist, he is trained in intercultural psychodynamic psychotherapy, and has extensive clinical experience working with adults in the NHS, community organisations and private practice.
Previously, Matthew spent over 15 years working for human rights organisations on some of the most important issues of our time, including migration and asylum, immigration detention, torture, Guantanamo Bay, and the death penalty.
Matthew has worked directly with people in immigration detention centres, prisons and on death row, and is an experienced group facilitator.
He is a full member of the British Psychoanalytic Council and the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists, and is regulated by their codes of ethics and practice.
Get in Touch
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