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Today, we pause to recognise that not all stress is the same.

💡 Positive stress is a brief increase in cortisol, helping us 'get-up-and-go'.
💡 Tolerable stress is more cortisol but can be managed with the right support and connection.
💡 Toxic stress; when stress is intense and ongoing without protective relationships, this can harm wellbeing and development.

As trauma-informed professionals, our role is to help children move from toxic to tolerable, by creating safety, trust, and connection every day. 💛

A child's trauma refuses to be silenced. It's in their body, their behaviour, their relationship. It hinders their learning. That is, until someone listens to their story...until someone helps them make sense of what has happened.

How did/does your emotionally available adult support you to grow?

"In the emotionally healthy [and trauma informed] school, there is nothing to be frightened of within the can, and young people know that they don't have to carry their burdens alone" - Mary Meredith

By being an emotionally available adult, we can help safely open that can of worms and allow the child or young person to feel less alone in their struggles.

These titles are just a few we mention alongside our trainings, to better understand ourselves, the systems we work in, and the stories lying under it all.

Coming of Age - Lucy Foulkes
Belonging: A Relationship-Based Approach for Trauma-Informed Education - Sian Phillips, Deni Melim, Dan Hughes
Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of The Teenage Brain - Sarah Blakemore
Parklands: A School Built on Love - Chris Dyson
A Straight Talking Introduction to Children's Mental Health Problems - Sami Timimi
Know me to Teach me - Louise Bomber
Brain-based Parenting - Daniel Hughes & Jonathan Baylin
The Whole Brain Child - Daniel Siegal & Tina Bryson

Whether you're new to trauma-informed practice or deepening your current knowledge, each of these will be able to offer some key insights.

What books have you found helpful in furthering your practice?
Tell us in the comments, sharing is caring!

Autumn invites us to slow down, notice, and connect.
From mushroom hunting to pumpkin picking, leaf threading to web spotting; these simple seasonal moments are rich in sensory regulation, curiosity and co-regulation.

When shared with a safe, emotionally available adult, these experiences become more than just play, they become opportunities for attunement, wonder, and belonging.

Pumpkin Picking 🎃
Predictable, low-pressure activity that involve joint focus and touch (carrying, cleaning, carving) to reinforce trust and co-regulation.

Web Wonders 🕸
Spotting spider webs glistening in the rain encourages slowing down and noticing the details of the natural world; a key way to shift from survival mode into safety and curiosity

Conker Collecting 🌳
Simple, embodied play like this strengthens relational joy, offering moments of safety through connection, not correction.

Mushroom Hunting 🍄
Co-exploration models safe curiosity; children learn that the world can be approached with interest, not fear, building both emotional and relational safety.

Whether it’s crunching through leaves, collecting conkers, or pausing to notice the morning mist, connection with nature helps calm the nervous system and restore balance. 🌿

We wish her so well in her next venture with Safer Wales. Alys, you're off to save the world (again) it has been an honour to work with you and learn from you. Enjoy your last day, the team (and the socials 😱) will be so different without you. We are already bereft ♥️⭐️