05/06/2026
Over the past number of years, both through my clinical work and my own doctoral journey, I have found myself returning to the same question.
What is it that helps some people continue to move through life after experiencing significant adversity in childhood?
We often hear about trauma, resilience, and post-traumatic growth, yet I have become increasingly interested in the less visible ways people endure, adapt, survive, and make sense of their experiences.
My doctoral research, Unearthing the Unseen, aims to explore how adults understand difficult childhood experiences and the inner ways of being that developed in response to them.
I am interested in the stories people carry, the meanings they have made, and the personal capacities that helped them navigate what was often unimaginable.
This research is deeply important to me, not only as a psychotherapist and researcher, but as someone who believes that there is immense value in listening carefully to people's lived experiences.
If you feel you may be interested in taking part, I would love to hear from you.
For the purposes of this study, developmental trauma or childhood adversity refers to difficult, distressing, or adverse experiences that occurred repeatably during childhood, particularly within important relationships such as those with parents, caregivers.
These experiences may include emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental substance misuse, inconsistent caregiving, emotional unavailability, chronic criticism, rejection, bullying, loss, or growing up in an environment where a child did not feel safe, supported, or emotionally secure.
For further information, please contact:
[email protected]
