Dialogue, Research & Social Repair

Trauma, narrative, identity, mediation & social cohesion

I work as a practitioner–researcher at the intersection of trauma, narrative, identity, and social fracture, with a focus on dialogue, mediation, reintegration, and social repair.

My work explores how personal and collective histories shape behaviour, belonging, and possibilities for change, particularly in contexts of conflict, polarisation, disengagement, and post-trauma recovery. It is shaped by my clinical practice, humanitarian experience, and doctoral research, and sits alongside my therapeutic and supervisory work.

Core Focus

My research and applied work engage with:

how trauma shapes individual and collective identity
the role of narrative in behaviour, belonging, and change
psychological and social processes involved in disengagement & reintegration
the impact of trauma on conflict, polarisation, and social cohesion

Research Insight

I am completing a PhD in Psychology exploring the role of trauma, narrative, and social context in disengagement from violent extremism, with wider relevance to other harmful behaviours.

A central finding of this work is that meaningful trauma processing increases people’s capacity to feel safe, to trust, and to remain open in the presence of difference — and, crucially, reduces polarisation.

When this shift occurs, people are more able to meet one another as human beings rather than as threats, creating new possibilities for dialogue and cooperation.

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Peacebuilding & Dialogue

I bring a trauma-informed, therapeutic lens to dialogue, mediation, and peacebuilding work.

Rather than treating conflict as something that exists only at the level of ideas or positions, this approach recognises how deeply it is carried in bodies, nervous systems, identities, and lived histories.

I have training in transformative mediation and work with interest-based and relational approaches to dialogue, seeking to understand what truly matters to different parties and what feels most at stake.

This work is not about offering solutions.

It is about creating conditions of safety and trust in which humane, ethical, and genuinely liveable solutions can emerge.

Working Together

This work informs dialogue processes, mediation, advisory roles, applied research, and programme design, particularly in settings shaped by conflict, displacement, extremism, and long-term adversity.

If you’re interested in collaboration or conversation, I welcome contact.

Contact me