Testimonials

Testimonials – Trauma Informed Care. Adverse Childhood Experience Awareness

Tre-Life – supporting people improve their quality of life through the development of skills.

Participants rated training 9.5 out of 10.

The course really opened my eyes to the huge scope of trauma and experiences which can be affecting us all, including myself. It made me want to explore further. Thank you Dorothy. Trainer.

The tools learned were excellent and these will be implemented across our service delivery to support our clients. Director.

Informative. Interesting. Essential. Trainer.

The more tools you have in your toolbox the better chance you have to fix a problem. Volunteer.

street league

The aces training was an eye-opening experience I learnt about both the young people I work with but also myself on a deeper level knowing how childhood trauma can shape someone’s life.

Leanne Bates, Sports Coordinator, Bermondsey.

I really enjoyed the course. I didn’t know much about ACE’s, so feel as though I learned so much. I now feel equipped to use these tools with the young people I work with. Dorothy was a great teacher. She was very knowledgeable and personable.

Caitlin O’Hara, Youth and Community Coach, Paisley.

This course was really interesting and had a lot of information. Dorothy was very relatable and made the information easy to understand. I feel like I’ve picked up some useful tools to use in work and now have the info to look at situations differently.

Georgia Bird, Progressions Co-ordinator Birmingham.


The course was enjoyable and very interesting. The strategies on how to help people who have experienced ACE’s was really useful.  Dorothy explained everything in detail and made the course interactive and enjoyable.

Louise Bell, Youth and Community Coach, North Lanarkshire.


I really enjoyed the course as I have never been educated in this area before. Dorothy was very helpful and her attention to detail and practical demonstrations were brilliant. I hope to use some of the techniques and strategies we have learnt on this course into my day-to-day work.

Adam Braid. Youth and Community Coach, Dundee.

I feel if teachers, coaches role models of every kind had the chance to attend this training it would have a real impact on society as a whole and affect children’s lives for the better! Thank you.

Katie Reilly. Active Schools Coordinator

Really informative and gives a deep understanding of aces and how you can put practises into place to support schools’ clubs etc engaging in your sports and physical activity programmes.

 Lucy Brown, Active Schools Coordinator

I feel this could very well be the start of a wave towards better understanding of why individuals may react the way they do when faced with life situations. With better understanding, it will lead to more acceptance and improved coping mechanisms.

Callum. Active Schools Coordinator

This training was excellent in raising awareness of ACE’s and the impact these traumatic experiences can have on people’s life both as a child and into adolescence. it has educated me to a great extent on what may be going on with a young person in our session and ways in which I can support them to come in time when about what they are doing and ways in which I can support them to cope and in time learning about what they are feeling and why.

 Cara McBrearty. Active Schools Coordinator

This course is really helpful for practitioners who are supporting children displaying a broad range of behavioural challenges. It’s a worthwhile course that is very informative. Lots of useful information to take forward in a role to continue to make a positive impact in children’s lives.

Cara Murphy. Active Schools Coordinator

The course is very informative and will help you to understand why children behave the way they do, how we as adults can create a safe space and positive environment for children to reach their potential.

Lesley Scanlan. Active Schools Coordinator

Our role is person-centred especially when coaching so the info in the course helps understand the circumstances which can affect her personal response or behaves. Really valuable in giving an insight and giving consideration to how to respond.

Gavin McClure. Community Sports Hub Officer

I believe that it is extremely important that all people that they are key influences in a child’s life should be trained in ACE’s to improve the quality of a child’s life.

Craig Allardice. Active Schools Coordinator.

I really thought provoking 2-days. Can we do more?  Should we do more? Yes, and the 2 days has given me the knowledge and understanding to do so.

Fiona Woods. Active Schools Manager

This course is valuable to me personally as I am an ACE’s statistic! I work with children and young people every day and knowing how to best support ACE’s children makes my job even more valuable.

Michelle. Active Schools Coordinator

This course is for those who work with people  and provides the skills to step back and identify that not every behavioural response can be treated the same. Our own skills and experiences blended with the expertise and tools shown on the course can make the difference to a person’s future. Thanks!

 Derek Howitt. Active Schools Coordinator

I really enjoyed learning about different ways the brain works and techniques to help the young people we work with.

Youth Worker

I found all of the course useful. Lots of good examples. I found the brain information particularly helpful to understand the impact of trauma and the exercise on other perspectives.
Ruth Mackenzie. Digital Skills Trainer

It is vital that we work together and learn more about us and how we can all make a difference if we all work together, we can do it!
Gillian Wilson, Youth Worker

Dorothy is clearly educated at a high level on ACE’s and is passionate about raising awareness of this. Thank you!

Youth Worker

bishopbriggs academy logo

Huge thank you to Dorothy for her aces training. As a new principal teacher of health and wellbeing this training will be invaluable in the role. Thanks!

Lauren Wilson PT health and Well-being

A very important and informative session. I enjoyed the full 2 days and leave with a renewed perspective on how I can best support young people with ACE’s.

James Orr. Teacher of Wellbeing


Excellent training! The hard conversation training was great!
Ailsa Slavin. PT Learning Support Resource


Excellent course and the theory work, although heavy going, is completely necessary. All of the technique shared will be built into a practise. Really well delivered. Thank you.

Julie McSherry. PT Guidance

A great course to raise awareness of ACE’s and the behaviour of young people presenting with ACE’s. The practical strategies covered provided great resources for supporting a young people.

Samantha Robertson. PT Numeracy

A really detailed and thorough course. Dorothy is clearly an exceptionally talented and knowledgeable tutor / trainer. Her delivery was captivating and really thought provoking right up until the end. Thank you for your guidance.

John McCue. PT Health and Well-being

I took away the important strategies to use and the lifelong effects that ACE’s have on a person’s life and more importantly, a situation which happened to one of my pupils today, I can now try to support her better.

Sarah McLaren. PT Guidance

Ace awareness training is not only informative and useful to better support our young people but it should be part of every school’s vision / ethos going forward. It is so crucial to have a greater understanding of ACE’s particularly in current times. It is not about what is wrong with you but what happened to you.

Jodie Rushworth. Deputy Head Teacher

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Thank you for bringing the awareness of trauma to our work place! As a trauma experienced person, it is very important that the effects of adverse childhood experiences are being recognised and talked about. It was difficult two days but very much enjoyed it! Thank you for bringing you experience!

Aneta Opolska, Service Manager.

 I will take away the techniques to support our young people more knowledge and understanding of trauma. The ACE’s workshop will greatly help me to support our young people and their families at an even greater level. I will be able to put into practise what I have learnt and the strategies will not only support my practise but will improve it

Helen Bonnar, Early Years Play Team Leader


ACE’s awareness training gave the team time to focus, learn and reflect on the experiences of the children and young people we support as well as the family’s needs. I feel it has started a conversation within the team which will continue after the training and will support us to hone our practise to be inclusive to ACE’s.
Nicola Crombie-Dawson, Service Manager.

I took away lots of new useful strategies but also are much better understanding of our brains and the impact trauma has on our brains. It’s important everyone in society learns about ACE’s and how to support each other better for us to have a kinder and more inclusive world. I also think training like this encourages and normalises asking for help, going to therapy and generally caring for each other better. Many thanks!
Amanda Gilchrist, Play Team Leader.


I will take away and understanding of the depth and complexity of the trauma many of our young people are dealing with and how to better approach situations empathetically with that knowledge. It was a brilliant informative fascinating and powerful course. Armed with the knowledge, to be far more empathetic and put myself in the young person who has experienced profound trauma’s place
Rebecca Lovitt, Play Worker.

I took away a lot of strategies to take to the young people we support as well as resources to think on one faced with a challenging situation. I think the 3-position activity was most useful at it was a way that I had not yet used that would allow me to go beyond I was feeling and think about the others in the situation. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us these last 2 days and for giving us your unique stories. It really was a safe place where I was able to learn and grow so that I can hopefully support the young people we see daily to learn and grow in a more positive environment. You were fantastic!
Jenna, Play Team Leader.

I feel this training should be made available and delivered to all those working with children, young adults, parents and carers to help nurture empathy, understanding and love for each other.
R McQueen, Play Worker.

Dorothy was approached by myself at Glasgow East Women’s Aid as I was looking for a group for mums, something that would have a powerful and positive impact upon their lives bringing them closer together in understanding the way in which ACES play out in our lives and how we can overcome, learn to live with and provide a better upbringing for our own children. ACES can be a very emotionally triggering subject and more so with a client group who have been affected by domestic abuse. Dorothy was able to tailor the contents of the subject to this client group ensuring that no mum left the group feeling they were to blame for their child’s behaviour and also alleviated any harboured guilt. The programme provided by Dorothy was compassionately led, informative, interesting and enjoyable. Dorothy brought a lot of different tools which were pitched at the right level making them understandable and fun, quite often through session laughter was heard. This created a sense of safety and belonging, resulting in the instillation of hope. Those who attended were very grateful for her ability to provide a detailed input on a difficult subject tactfully and with such great empathy. I would highly recommend Dorothy, and this ACES group format to anyone involved in women’s services and particularly in regard to domestic abuse. This group has left a lasting positive impact upon the women who attended. They no longer feel that they are alone and have a much clearer understanding of their own emotions and that of their children allowing for growth and stability for the future.

Louise Benson. Family Development Worker Glasgow East Women’s Aid

This course is full of lots of fab information that will allow me to improve my practice. I am now equipped with lots of tools to support the families I work with.

Children’s Wellbeing & Development Worker

This course is good at explaining about childhood experiences and supports you in understanding feelings.

Family Support Worker

This course was varied and covered many different areas of ACE’s, brain development and I have tools to improve my practice.

Family Support & Development Worker