Reflections from the Road: Repairing the Rupture
Across classrooms in Bangkok, family meetings in Belgrade, and conferences on the windswept coasts of Scotland, I’ve noticed the same thing: young people are struggling. Rising anxiety, behavioural challenges, fractured focus, emotional overwhelm—it’s not just happening in isolated pockets. It’s everywhere.
This is more than a crisis of behaviour. It’s a sign of rupture—a fraying of the invisible threads that connect us to ourselves, to one another, and to the environments where learning is meant to flourish.
But if rupture is real, so is repair.
Drawing on the work of Dr. Ed Tronick and Dr. Claudia Gold, this post explores the Repair Theory of Human Development—the idea that healthy relationships aren’t about perfection, but about the ongoing, messy, human process of disconnection and reconnection. We don’t need to get it right all the time—just enough of the time to try again.
Because in the end, it’s not flawless strategies that change lives.
It’s connection.
"Trauma isn’t what happens to us — it’s what fails to happen within us."– Dr. Gordon Neufeld
“Trauma isn’t what happens to us — it’s what fails to happen within us.”
This was just one of the many powerful insights I took away from Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s talk at the Biology of Belonging conference.
He reminded us that attachment, not survival, is our deepest human drive, and that true healing begins when we feel safe enough to feel again.
I’ve written a blog post unpacking his rich, heartfelt talk — full of humour, wisdom, and challenge — and why it matters so much for educators, parents, and professionals working with young people.
#Neufeld #TraumaInformed #AttachmentTheory #ChildDevelopment #Wellbeing #Education #Belonging #EmotionalHealth
A Case Study: Teo’s Story - A Journey of Understanding
Teo’s Story: A Journey of Discovery
Teo, 9, was clever and kind — but often overwhelmed. At school, his outbursts were seen as behaviour issues, but beneath the surface were deeper learning and emotional needs that had gone unnoticed. Through our gentle, strengths-based assessment process, Teo and his family began to uncover the “why” behind the struggles. With a systems-thinking lens and collaborative support from his school and family, small shifts led to meaningful change. Not a quick fix — but an evolving, empowering journey.
If you’re feeling unsure about your child’s behaviour or learning, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
From Performance Target to Practice: A Mindfulness Journey in Year 2
When Helen, a Year 2 teacher, was given a performance target to engage in action research, she turned it into a powerful inquiry into mindfulness and emotional regulation in the classroom. Over the course of two terms, Helen embedded breathing exercises, brain breaks, and child-led strategies into daily routines — and saw her students flourish.
But this wasn’t just about introducing mindfulness. It was about critically exploring what really works, for whom, and why. Drawing on contemporary research, Helen’s project reminds us that while mindfulness can be transformative, it must be contextual, inclusive, and responsive to each child’s background, needs, and lived experience.
This blog shares the journey of a teacher–researcher partnership with Beyond Bridges Education that turned a professional goal into meaningful change — and offers a framework for others to do the same.