Jo Francis

My professional experience and qualifications enable you to know that I have the relevant training, skills and rigour to do this work - some of life's challenges are profoundly personal and job titles are not; so I would like to you to know what has motivated me for the last almost 30 years.   After nearly three decades of working within the criminal justice, children's social care and family law systems, I decided to further my passion and ability for realising individual and organisational potential through psycho-education and solution-focused behaviour and mindset change work.  Having developed my knowledge and skillset in conflict resolution, family mediation and teacher of mindfulness, I work with vulnerable children and adults in the most complex and challenging of human dilemmas, such as the experience of separation/divorce, bereavement/loss, anxiety/stress management, ill-health and menopause.

I engage in ongoing study of psychology, looking scientifically and systematically into the behaviours of human beings including the conscious and unconscious phenomena, emotional intelligence, bereavement, loss and trauma and how they impact on daily lives.   I also specialises in carefully exploring the causal reason for stuck behaviour, resistance and negative thought patterns as this can be a very common factor of discord when trying to find solutions in conflict resolution. 

I now work with parents, children and young people, families and organisations, providing highly effective conflict resolution/mediation platforms, practical and realistic coaching practice and fun and informative facilitation training courses.  My dedication and enthusiasm is to help engage, educate and empower both men and women to find better solutions to their own conundrums whilst also bringing the best of themselves forward at times of challenge and adversity.

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Sam Urquhart

Sam has over 20 years experience of supporting adults, families and children in both one to one and group settings.  After many years working in corporate settings including one as a Senior Buyer for Tetra Pak,  Sam’s career path took an interesting turn.  Sam was approached by Sir Alec Reed, (Chairman of Reed Employment plc), to set up and manage a charity initiative based at Holloway Women‘s Prison.  The scheme provided a workplace for inmates, enabling them to gain work experience during their sentences, with the aim of addressing the problems of reoffending.  Proudly, the scheme was presented with the “Employees in the Community” award for innovation.

After running her own successful but demanding business for three years, Sam decided to embark on a career that would enable her a better work/home life balance, spending more time with her two young children.  Sam worked on a term-time basis as a senior practitioner in Hertfordshire, supporting families, parents, carers and schools to enable children and young people full access to educational opportunities whilst overcoming barriers to learning.

Sam has extensive experience of working with children, young people and their families applying her training in health and wellbeing, safeguarding and bereavement.  Sam has completed training in mental health first aid, is qualified in working  with parents at level 3,  Confidence in Menopause, Brook harmful sexual behaviour and is a domestic abuse champion.

Sam formed part of the initial roll out of protective behaviours training in 2011, with Action for Children and as a result has applied those tools and methodologies when working with clients on a one to one and group basis ever since.  Finally, Sam continues her passion for using protective behaviours techniques for both personal safety, self-esteem and the foundational basis for developing resilience and confidence building when working with all her clients.