Your home for expert commentary about child protection, out-of-home care, and related endeavours.
Brought to you by Colby Pearce
Trauma informed practice is less about correcting behaviours of concern, and more about responding therapeutically to the reasons for them.
Colby Pearce
Clinical Psychologist
Watch, Read, Listen
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Leadership Alignment: The Backbone of Therapeutic Practice
Everyone Needs Reflective Space, Even the CEO The concept of therapeutic practice in social care settings is often misunderstood or diluted, yet it remains one of the most powerful approaches for creating meaningful change in the lives of vulnerable young people. Simon Benjamin, with over two decades of experience across various care models, offers profound…
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Beyond Management: Why Culture Flows Downhill, with Lynne Peyton
Leadership is about creating confident practitioners who change lives Leadership in social care isn’t just about managing teams—it’s about creating environments where practitioners can thrive and ultimately deliver better outcomes for vulnerable children and families. This profound insight emerged repeatedly during my fascinating conversation with Lynne Peyton, a former senior manager in health and social…
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From Cotswold to Global Health: Creating Healing Systems
What Happens When We Invest in Human Potential? The Cotswold Community stands as a pioneering example of therapeutic residential care for deeply troubled young people, showcasing how thoughtful, systemic approaches to trauma can transform lives across generations. In my conversation with Graeme Kerridge, who worked at the Cotswold Community in the late 1970s before developing…
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Healing Through Relationship: A Lifetime in Therapeutic Care
An Ordinary Life Is the Great Aspiration The journey of creating effective therapeutic interventions for traumatized children is filled with both challenges and profound rewards. This became abundantly clear during my conversation with Adela Holmes, whose remarkable 52-year career in child protection and therapeutic care has shaped Victoria’s approach to supporting its most vulnerable young…
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Shame Containment Theory: A Revolutionary Approach
Your Relationship with Shame Defines Your Life More Than You Realize In a groundbreaking podcast conversation, psychosexual therapist and PhD researcher Lisa Etherson introduced listeners to Shame Containment Theory, a revolutionary framework for understanding human behavior through the lens of shame. This theory, recently published in the prestigious journal “Attachment” in December 2023, offers profound…
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Beyond Fear: Raising Tech-Smart Children in a Digital World, with Cath Knibbs
Help! My Child Won’t Look Up From Their Screen In an increasingly digital world, the lines between our online and offline lives continue to blur, especially for our children. This fascinating conversation with Catherine Nibbs, a researcher, psychotherapist, and technology expert with over 30 years of experience, delves into the complex relationship between technology and…
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Navigating Trauma Through Reflective Practice with Dr. Nicola O’Sullivan
Emotional wellbeing in child protection The intersection of personal experience and professional practice in child protection work stands as one of the most compelling yet under-explored areas in social care. Dr Nicola O’Sullivan’s conversation with Colby Pearce in this Secure Start podcast episode offers profound insights into this territory, illuminating how our personal histories shape…
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Therapeutic Culture: Building Healing Environments for Traumatized Youth, with John Whitwell
Creating Therapeutic Environments for Traumatized Children: Lessons from the Cotswold Community and Beyond The journey towards healing for children who have experienced significant trauma requires more than just care – it demands thoughtfully designed therapeutic environments that understand the unique needs of emotionally unintegrated young people. In a revealing conversation on the Secure Start podcast,…
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Reunifying 1,200 Children: The Connecting Families Story with Sally Rhodes
Family Preservation Through Trauma Informed Practice Family reunification is one of the most challenging yet rewarding areas of child protection work. In this powerful conversation between Colby Pearce and Sally Rhodes, we gain insight into how one practitioner’s passion for keeping families together has led to the successful reunification of over 1,200 children with their…
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