.png)
Trauma Informed Community
TICA takes a ‘network’ based approach to research and social change, facilitating connections between people so that positive ideas can spread and people can support each other through their trauma informed journey.
​
You can join our Community of Action by signing up to our mailing list and letting us know what the main issues are for you or how you would like to be involved.
Be the first to know
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive news and updates.
We also have a number of networks that are affiliated to us and you can find out more about them by contacting the people below:
Meet Our Associates
TICA C.I.C. uses our extensive network to bring people onto strands of our work who can bring their unique skills and experience to bear. Our associates are:
Elena Alexandrou
Trauma Informed Educator /
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Elaine Readhead
Retired NHS Managing Director and Mental
Health Nurse
Dr Natalie Edelman
Independent Consultant in Trauma-informed Research, Evaluation, Service Support and Training
Dr Alexandrou has worked as a trauma educator and change maker for almost two decades. She’s been involved in projects within health, forensic, social care and in the charity sector alongside young men impacted by youth violence, with survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire and in specialist services for refugees and asylum seekers who have been displaced by war and experienced human rights violations. Most recently she has led on trauma informed system change and developed a staff wellbeing service, both within the NHS. She has been a Trustee for a London charity called Derman and is a founding member of London ACEs Hub.
What motivates Elena?
Understanding trauma and its impact on the body has the potential to fundamentally change the ways in which we care for ourselves and navigate our relationships.
“Having practiced in domestic abuse for years I found Dr Alexandrou’s explanation of trauma the most relevant piece of information I have learnt in a long time – it put together some missing pieces of the jigsaw in my understanding in terms of why some people are more affected than others by their experience of trauma. Light bulb moment!”
- A quote from a trauma-informed training event.
​
Find out more about Dr Alexandrou's work here.
Elaine has worked on the TICA project as part of her previous role at the AHSN. Elaine has said that she is excited at the prospect of taking this work into the real world and to work alongside other like-minded people to hopefully make an impact on individual lives.
Elaine has over 40 years experience working in the NHS. Clinical, managerial and in the leadership arena.
She is now retired but still feels that she has a little left to give.
​
"I believe that gentle, sensitive, timely companionship offered by an empathetic person can provide illumination and a chance to heal."
- Elaine Readhead
​
​
Readhead Associates Ltd
Dr Natalie Edelman's trauma-informed work is driven by her deep motivation towards social justice and inclusion.
Natalie brings a breadth of expertise to her trauma-informed work, including 25 years as an academic health researcher specialising in disenfranchised populations, stigma and traumatic experiences, a background in neurosurgical nursing and her own experiences of trauma as an autistic woman.
"Trauma-informed approaches are radical, they invite us to see the person rather than the label, to name and challenge the difficulties in the systems in which we work, and to put our own wellbeing front and centre of our practice
and work."
Peter Jones
Chair Counselling in Prisons Network
_edited.png)
Dr Paras Patel
Senior Research Lead in NHS
Director of Paras Wellbeing Ltd.
Gill Tinklin
Film and Audio Producer/Director
Peter founded the Counselling in Prisons Network 17 years ago following a call to the Survivos Hull organisation, which he had set up for male victims of sexual abuse and trauma. The call was a cry for help from a local prison following a gang rape on the wing. This is the cornerstone of Peter's journey into compassionate intervention with marginalised groups. The Counselling in Prisons Network is now an internationally recognised body with over 150 members.
He has published a training manual on sexual abuse and trauma and a number of textbooks about working therapeutically in the criminal justice system.
​
​
What motivates Peter?
To relieve pain and suffering in a compassionate way for marginalised and forgotten groups., as well as contributing to the evidence base of informed trauma care in the criminal justice system.
​
“In all that you do, do no harm.”
Whilst being involved in research for over 10 years, Dr Paras has a real passion helping individuals achieve their best self. This has translated into research projects that can make relative quick positive impact to individuals including working on research the impact of different interventions on the wellbeing of individuals (music, arts, yoga, meditation etc.), Trauma Informed Care Programme, Staff Wellbeing Programme and more recently Individual Placement Support and Parkinson Disease projects.
​
What motivates Paras?
Using a Trauma Informed approach recognises individuals and their personal experiences. It seeks to understand the individuals’ challenges and strengths in collaboratively mapping their recovery journey. Rather than traditional views of treating the brain and body separately, TIA use an integrative perspective combining the brain and body in whilst using both traditional and holistic creative therapies in helping an individual to not only recover but to thrive.
​
"Everyone has their own version of happiness. Try new things and do more of what you love to do. in doing so, you will find your happiness."
A producer, director and qualified counsellor/therapist whose passion is to enable individuals to share, connect, encourage and
empower themselves and others in a safe, trusted, consistent and often very
creative space.
​
What motivates Gill?
​
At its heart a Trauma Informed Approach regards everyone as a unique individual, with their own unique experiences impacting
their lives. For over 25 years we have created media alongside people, enabling a safe and trusted space in which they are in control of their narrative and the stories of
their experiences.
​
"If together we whisper, all together we’ll
be heard."
- The words spoken within a film created together with survivors of childhood trauma
Angela Sweeney
Senior Lecturer in User Led Research at King’s College London
Dr Khadj Rouf
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Angie Sweeney is a trauma survivor and has been conducting survivor research since the late 90s. Angie is currently Director of the Service User Research Enterprise (SURE, King’s College London), a unique academic research group comprised predominantly of patient and public involvement coordinators, and researchers with direct experience of neurodiversity, trauma violence and abuse, mental distress, and/or (ref)using mental health services. Angie’s research interests include support and healing following trauma, parenting in the context of violence and trauma, lived experience and survivor-controlled approaches to research and of course trauma-informed approaches.
​
​
What motivates Angie?
​
I believe that when survivors come together – whether to lead research, explore the meaning of trauma-informed approaches, or just to be – we can find solidarity, healing and wisdom. Trauma-informed approaches can only benefit from this, and from the survivor leadership that I see around me.
Khadj has worked for the NHS since 1991 and is a trained cognitive therapist. She is passionate about creative ways of healing from trauma, and in joining the dots between individual healing and social justice. Khadj is also a published author and poet.
​
What motivates Khadj?
​
Recognising the harm caused by trauma and abuse is a colossal task but is one which will lead to a safer, more peaceful and healthier society. It’s an endeavour which is filled with intense effort but is also full of hope, justice and reward.
​
"Trauma is not a lifestyle choice. We need to stop blaming victims and survivors and look at changing organisations and social structures to prevent harm as much as possible, and to ensure that there is the right support, justice and help available to those who have suffered. Everyone has the right to live without fear."
Meet Our Special Advisors
Our Special Advisors supports the design, development, delivery and governance of our work, and are instrumental in our development and delivery of trauma informed ‘training’ and resource building across our English and UK network in issues relating to health, mental health and wellbeing. Our Special Advisors are trauma informed subject matter experts and hold a passion and commitment to the mission and values of the C.I.C.
Linda Dobraszczyk
Retired Children’s Commissioner in
Public Health
Elena Alexandrou
Trauma Informed Educator /
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Darren Archer
Senior Sustainability Officer, North East and Yorkshire, NHS England
Linda is motivated by personal loss. She would like to see early recognition of the signs of trauma in children. Linda would also like to see trauma informed services offered across the lifespan that support individuals, families and the staff working
in services.
​
After 37 years as a community pharmacist, after her loss, Lisa retrained in Public Health and worked hard to drive the trauma informed agenda across all her local public and third
sector services.
Dr Alexandrou has worked as a trauma educator and change maker for almost two decades. She’s been involved in projects within health, forensic, social care and in the charity sector alongside young men impacted by youth violence, with survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire and in specialist services for refugees and asylum seekers who have been displaced by war and experienced human rights violations.
​
Read more about Dr Alexandrou in her Associates profile above.
Peter Jones
Chair Counselling in Prisons Network
Peter founded the Counselling in Prisons Network 17 years ago.
Find out more about Peter in his Associates profile above.
Natalia Lewis
Dr, Researcher, Senior Lecturer in Trauma-Informed Health Care
Natalia Lewis is a researcher with a clinical medical background and expertise in trauma-informed health care and health system
responses to domestic abuse and trauma.
​
What motivates Natalia?
​
Her experience as a medical doctor and health services researcher studying health system responses to domestic abuse and wider trauma.
​
"Education is necessary but not sufficient; education about trauma-informed care must include integration and tailoring at the organisational level to create the conditions for
supporting individual practice change."
Darren entered the NHS with a dietetics qualification, privileged to have worked at a strategic management position where he can harness others lived experience to be innovative in enhancing system change.
​
What motivates Darren?
To deal with mental illness the way we deal with physical illness negates the reality of the lives many people live. The trauma informed approach changes the dynamic by shifting the balance of power to support recovery acknowledging a person’s needs.
​
‘250 one-year old saplings can never replace the ecology of one 250-year-old Oak’.
Dr Khadj Rouf
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Khadj has worked for the NHS since 1991 and is a trained cognitive therapist. She is passionate about creative ways of healing from trauma, and in joining the dots between individual healing and social justice. Khadj is also a published author and poet.
​
What motivates Khadj?
​
Recognising the harm caused by trauma and abuse is a colossal task but is one which will lead to a safer, more peaceful and healthier society. It’s an endeavour which is filled with intense effort but is also full of hope, justice and reward.
​
"Trauma is not a lifestyle choice. We need to stop blaming victims and survivors and look at changing organisations and social structures to prevent harm as much as possible, and to ensure that there is the right support, justice and help available to those who have suffered. Everyone has the right to live without fear."