Shows
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship #10. Caring for the care teams - you can't give what you haven't received.In this conversation, Bev and Jen explore the emotional and psychological costs associated with care work, particularly in direct care settings. They discuss the challenges of managing vicarious trauma, the importance of support systems, and the need for self-care among care workers. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of creating a supportive environment that acknowledges the emotional toll of the work and promotes recovery and regulation for both staff and those they care for.2025-05-0730 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #9: Relational Boundaries within trauma-informed careWe discuss the place for boundaries inside trauma-informed practice, particularly in educational settings - that 'no' is both a trauma-informed word and a kind word in the right context. They discuss the importance of understanding trauma in students, the necessity of boundaries, and the balance between compassion and discipline. The dialogue emphasizes the role of relationships in healing and the need for a nuanced approach to care that recognizes both the costs and benefits of emotional investment in vulnerable individuals.2025-04-3029 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #8 Empowerment, choice and voiceJen and Bev explore the principles of empowerment, choice and voice in the context of trauma-informed care with people with severe learning disabilities. They delve into the significance of balancing spontaneity and routine, the emotional growth that comes from navigating disappointment, and the necessity of creating safe spaces for healing. The discussion also touches on family dynamics, fairness, and the importance of boundaries in fostering empowerment and understanding.2025-04-2327 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #7: Trustworthiness and transparencyThis conversation explores the dynamics of trust, transparency, and community in care settings, emphasizing the importance of emotional honesty and resilience.Bev and Jen discuss their personal experiences and insights into how relationships and organizational culture impact the well-being of young people, particularly those with learning disabilities.They highlight the need for a shift towards more open communication and the establishment of boundaries to create safer environments for both caregivers and those they support.2025-04-1630 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #6: Mutuality and collaborationIn this conversation, Bev and Jen delve into the principles of collaboration and mutuality, particularly in the context of trauma-informed care.They explore how collaboration can dismantle power structures, the importance of respecting a person's autonomy, and the transformative experiences that arise from mutual trust and understanding.Through personal anecdotes and professional insights, they highlight the challenges and rewards of fostering genuine connections that prioritize emotional safety and internal change.2025-04-0930 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #5 Safety and RelationshipsIn this conversation, Bev and Jen focus on safety – one of the core principles of trauma-informed care. They start with some thoughts about how quickly psychological safety can get shaken, and then drill down into the role of relationships in creating safe, supportive environments particular in setting supporting people with severe learning disabilities. They also touch on the complexities of dependency versus attachment in care settings and the need to value relationships over mere resources in caregiving.2025-04-0231 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #4: trauma-informed organisational changeIn this conversation, Jen and Beverley discuss the challenges faced by young people with learning disabilities dealing with trauma and the importance of understanding their stories, when these can be found.Discussing Bev’s Churchill Fellowship visits to the UK, Jen asks about the cultural differences in trauma-informed care between the UK and the USA, highlighting the role of therapy and the need for organizational change to embed trauma-informed principles. They explore the importance of choice and empowerment in care settings and the ongoing journey towards effective trauma-informed practices.2025-03-2632 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #3 Time doesn’t heal trauma, but safe relationships doIn this conversation, Bev and Jen use a discussion about the pandemic as a springboard into thinking about the different experiences of trauma, and the way we can recover.They talk through understanding trauma as a bodily experience and the necessity of creating safe environments for recovery.Applying this to examples of different ways of understanding presentations of young people with learning disabilities they have supported, they begin to think about the need for trauma-informed care and the complexities involved in helping individuals adapt from a state of fear to one of safety and trust.2025-03-1930 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #2: trauma, dysregulation and co-regulation - for individuals and organisations.In this episode, we talk about how common trauma is thought to be amongst people with learning disabilities; and the things that contribute to people with learning disabilities experiencing trauma.We then pull the conversation wider to think about the way in which trauma might affect direct care staff. This leads us on to a discussion around regulation, dysregulation and co-regulation - and how we use this all the time in our work, both with individuals and with groups and organisations. 2025-03-1235 min
Unique Connections At The TableChurchill Fellowship Report #1: what's the problem? Learning disabilities and traumaIn this new series of podcasts, Jen and I slowly walk back through the Churchill Fellowship Report, which explores trauma and learning disabilities and the sorts of interventions that Bev learnt about during her time in the US in 2024. This episode starts with an exploration of what trauma is, how it presents for people with learning disabilities, and why it's a bigger problem than we are currently recognising in the sector. However, it is a problem that can be addressed, as trauma is essentially recoverable with the right context and support....2025-03-0429 min
Unique Connections At The TableIntroducing Jenny Cavendish and her work with Unique ConectionsIn this episode from our YouTube channel, Bev and Jen talk about the work of Unique Connections and some of the ethos and principles behind if.Jenny Cavendish is a nationally-recognised self-harm expert and an integrative psychotherapist. 2025-02-0414 min
Unique Connections At The TableRe-thinking self-injurious behaviour - family systems, attachment and shared humanityIn this episode from our YouTube channel, we talk to Dr Caroline Roberts who brings both compassion and passion to her research with people with learning disabilities who self-injure.Dr Roberts' research is focused on interdisciplinary approaches for supporting people with learning disabilities who self-injure, and she brings to her research her own lived experience of being sister to her brother who has intellectual, sensory and developmental disabilities and a long history of self-injury.Dr Roberts is a kindred spirit for us, in the way she understands non-speaking individuals as part of the fabric of...2025-02-0433 min
Unique Connections At The TableTrauma-informed care: why its necessary and how to make it happenIn this episode from our YouTube catalogue, Dr John Keesler talks with Bev about the why, how and what of TIC in services supporting people with intellectual disabilities.Dr Keesler was one of the first researchers to publish about trauma-informed care (TIC) for people with intellectual disabilities back in 2014. He has continued to focus his energy in working with direct care services, and trauma institutes to work out how we can best implement TIC in the sector.2025-02-0428 min
Unique Connections At The TableTrauma, relationships, power-dynamics and recoveryIn this episode from our YouTube channel, Dr Noelle Blackman, a seasoned trauma-informed expert and psychotherapist, talks with Dr Bev Samways about the impact of trauma on people with learning disabilities. They reflect on how trauma affects the whole system: individuals, staff and organisations. And how applying the principles of trauma informed practice creates healing cultures, that allow organisations to change the story.2025-02-0356 min
Unique Connections At The TableWelcome to "Unique Connections At The Table"Unique Connections At The Table is a podcast dedicated to exploring the profound power of human connection, especially for individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and other conditions.Hosted by the team behind Unique Connections, this podcast dives into the heart of what it means to build meaningful informed relationships with those who often struggle to be understood—including non-speaking individuals.Each episode invites listeners to the table to share stories, insights, and strategies that highlight our shared humanity.Because everyone is made for connection. No exceptions.Join us at the table an...2025-01-2700 min
Coventry Elim ChurchMaking Good Work Beverley Samways speaks on what it looks like to bring the Kingdom of God onto and into our frontlines. 2023-08-1333 min
Coventry Elim ChurchLiving Without Lack Beverley Samways introduces the 23 series speaking on living without lack 2023-04-1634 min
Coventry Elim ChurchGold in The Valley Beverley Samways speaks on finding gold in the valley. 2022-07-1730 min
Coventry Elim ChurchFavour This Sunday, Beverley Samways shares on the Favour of God 2021-03-2829 min