I offer a range of training and consultancy sessions on the impacts of gender-based violence and ways that professionals, services, and organisations can improve their practice to make a meaningful difference to the experiences of survivors. I also offer therapeutic workshops and group sessions (see below).
Recent sessions include
- CBT with Survivors of Coercive Control (BABCP, the University of Cambridge, Edinburgh Napier University).
- Victim Blame and Trauma-Informed CBT (BABCP).
- Victim blame: Not about victims, not about blame (Scottish Women’s Aid).
- Victim Blame in Counselling and Wellbeing Support (Edinburgh Napier University counselling service, British Psychological Society annual conference).
Are your services trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive?
Many services work to be trauma-informed to better meet the needs of their clients who have experienced sexual violence or domestic abuse. This requires specialist knowledge around the impacts of gender-based violence and the need for respectful treatment which ensures that survivors do not feel judged or blamed and are not further traumatised by their engagement with professionals.
However, being trauma-informed may not be enough. We also need to be ‘trauma-sensitive’: willing to actively reflect on our individual attiudes and behaviour, the systems within which we work, as well as the specific spaces and processes which we expect clients and survivors to navigate when accessing support.
Being trauma-sensitive means recognising that respect and dignity are not automatically communicated in the work that we do. Blame, judgement, and disrespect can be communicated to survivors in many unintentional and insidious ways, preventing professionals from meeting their needs. To challenge this, we must commit to clear, concrete changes – at local and policy levels – to ensure that services and spaces do not cause further harm to those already harmed by violence.
For a conversation about creating trauma-sensitive spaces for survivors, please contact me. I have created a briefing outlining some of these concepts which is freely available.
If you are interested in a training session or consultancy work tailored specifically for your team or organisation, please get in touch.
Therapeutic Training Sessions
I offer therapeutic and psychoeducational training sessions on the following topics:
- Introduction to CBT skills (half day, one day or two day courses)
- Working with: imposter syndrome, procrastination, perfectionism.
- Self-care and self-compassion
- Nature therapy
- Horror films as therapy (see Media Therapy)
- Videogames as therapy
- Superhero Therapy
All of the above sessions can be adapted for staff working with clients or as sessions for clients directly.
Testimonies for Amy’s training
“Amy’s presentation style, her humility and dignity… All in all one of the best webinars I have attended”. March, 2025.
“I feel more empowered to continue to provide a service that negates victim blaming”. November, 2023.
“Excellently delivered, compassionate and well contained; which is not easy due to the sensivity of the subject”. April, 2022.
“It was a really excellent session – clear, interesting, useful”. September, 2021.
Dr Amy Beddows 