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This blog provides general information and discussions about NVR and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as professional advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional expertise or treatment. If you or any other person has a concern, you should consult with a professional NVR advisor. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this blog or in any linked materials.
The opinions and views expressed on this blog are those of the blog post author and have no relation to those of any academic, health practice or other institution, including those of PartnershipProjects UK Ltd.

Enhancing Social Care Through Non-Violent Resistance: A Trauma-Informed Approach in Hertfordshire
NVR has become a cornerstone of trauma-focused services, addressing challenging behaviours and building resilience (Omer, 2004). It aligns seamlessly with trauma-informed, non-shaming, and relational approaches by prioritising connection, respect, and parental emotional regulation. Moving away from punitive behavioural models, NVR fosters collaboration and understanding, focusing on self-regulation rather than control of others. Its inte gration has profoundly transformed residential care in Hertfordshire Children’s Services.

NVR – About a Mouse Trying to Shift an Elephant
By the time a family arrives at a practitioner’s door to consider an NVR intervention (Non-Violent Resistance), more often than not difficult dynamics have grown over an extended period of time until breaking point has been reached. Being faced with highly complex circumstances and the desperation of a family, even an experienced practitioner can at times feel overwhelmed. A wise colleague of mine said the following to me when I shared my fear that I may end up joining parents in their helplessness and sense of erasure:
“When you are a mouse that is trying to shift an elephant, it is good to know which way the elephant is heading anyway”

Finding the Courage to join the NVR Accreditation Module
In all honesty, it took some time for me to consider if this was the right time for me to do the NVR Accreditation Module.
Although I sensed that something was more holding me back and I knew for certain in the core of my being, it wasn’t about the timing.
So, if it wasn’t about being the right time, what was it about, what was my barrier in signing up for something that I truly believe in and have a shared passion for with so many others?

NVR for Eating Disorders
Frequently parents come into ED services feeling overwhelmed by trying to care for their child, who is struggling with a life-threatening illness. Often, simultaneously trying to protect close friends and other family members by concealing the difficulties. This adds a layer of complexity, increases feelings of isolation and compounds stress levels that are already high.
Fear of making things worse – of exacerbating the ED or losing their relationship with their child (or both) can lead to a paralysis of assertive action, which may lead to parents adopting a “something is better than nothing mindset”, or even a defensiveness about recommended approaches.

Relationships Matter – Growing Supportive Relationships Around Families
When I attended the NVR Advanced training with Peter Jakob he spoke about the important role of supporters for our struggling families and this chimed with my own experience of delivering NVR as part of an Early Help service, working with families who have experienced a lot of trauma and deprivation. In our service, we mainly deliver NVR to parents in a group setting. It became apparent that we wouldn’t have the capacity to cover the “supporters/helpers” work with all the families attending the groups, so we trialled a Multi Family NVR Supporter Zoom session to plug this gap.

Changing Expectations: Supporting the Shift from Erasure to Presence
I wanted to reflect on how myself and my colleagues work with parents and carers to support them to move from a place of exhaustion, helplessness, withdrawal, and disconnection (erasure) into a place of presence and connection; both through the understanding and use of NVR principles and skills and the parent’s experience of the therapeutic relationship. The parental experience of ‘mattering’ (Beckers et al 2022) to the therapist enables the parent or carers to ‘power up’: enabling them to engage with ideas of self-care (where we often begin), transparency and resistance.

Supporting parents to: Illuminate the pathway from dependency to independence for the Adult-Child that has ‘Yet to Launch’
An NVR approach provides a relational, and systemic approach to illuminating the pathway from dependency to independence for the Adult-Child (A-C) that has Yet to Launch (YTL).
‘Yet to launch’, adult-children that are over the age of 18 years of age, are not in employment not participating meaningfully in education or training and are living in the family home at the parent’s expense. They are dependent on their parents for services, mediation with the outside world, financial support, and accommodation. This phenomenon is a growing challenge for parents worldwide and often

From Exclusion to Inclusion – New Authority in Education
This article originates from real-world insights gained working in a specialist Early Help team in London, dedicated to supporting families and schools in preventing the exclusion of a child. It summarises how innovative Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) approaches, viewed through a trauma-informed lens, can powerfully transform the narrative from exclusion to inclusion for the children and families we work with.

How do we include siblings in the NVR journey?
Mum (Nat) is a single parent of 12-year-old Kenzo and 11-year-old Melissa. Nat works full-time managing a bar at an army base, working split shifts.
Kenzo has a diagnosis of ASD + LD, he is physically violent toward mum and sister, he smashes/breaks property and is controlling of the whole family.
Melissa is struggling at home with Kenzo’s behaviours, she feels it is unfair that he behaves the way he does, she feels people make excuses for him and blame his behaviour on his ASD but most of all she feels unhappy and angry at mum and Kenzo.

Surviving More than Once
As an introduction, I just wanted to address the title of this blog. I chose ‘Surviving More than Once’ because I wanted to speak about my experience of Domestic Abuse as a professional and how this helped me to work with NVR clients who are mothers and survivors of domestic abuse. Surviving more than once felt right to me as survivors of domestic abuse often have experienced re-victimisation and victim blaming even after escaping an abusive relationship.