The Secure Start® Podcast

Send us Fan Mail
Supervision can look calm on the outside while a whole attachment system is firing underneath. When a supervisee is worried about risk, second-guessing an intervention, or feeling judged, the supervision room stops being a “case review” and becomes a relationship shaped by safety, power, and emotion. That’s where attachment theory becomes more than an idea, it becomes a practical lens for clinical supervision.

We sit down with Dr Alex Rowell, clinical psychologist, educator, and certified supervisor, to talk about attachment-based supervision and why it fits across orientations, from psychodynamic psychotherapy to structured approaches. We unpack what it means for a supervisor to function as a secure base and safe haven, how anxious and avoidant patterns can show up for both supervisee and supervisor, and why the best supervision often feels emotionally attuned rather than purely administrative. Along the way, we explore parallel process, the supervisory alliance, and how a supervisor’s own attachment style can quietly shape their responses under stress.

We also get real about constraints: heavy caseloads, system pressure, and the fact that many clinicians are “voluntold” to supervise with little formal training. We discuss rupture and repair after hard feedback, the built-in power dynamic of supervision, and when developmental or CBT-style structure is exactly what a supervisee needs. If you supervise, get supervised, or train clinicians, you’ll walk away with clearer language and practical prompts for making supervision safer, sharper, and more humane.

If this conversation helps you, please subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more supervisors and trainees can find it. What supervision moment made you feel most supported.
Alex’s Bio
Dr. Alex Rowell is a practicing clinical psychologist in the United Stated and United Kingdom. He has a wide range of clinical and professional experiences that include working in various inpatient/outpatient hospitals, non-profit organizations, multiple college-counseling centers, the National Health Service (NHS), higher education, and currently works virtually in private practice. His areas of interests include clinical supervision/supervising, mood disorders, self-compassion, teaching, mindfulness, burnout, and gender awareness and education. Dr. Rowell has presented on peripartum mental health, multicultural awareness, clinical supervision, Psychodynamic psychotherapy, and personality disorders at various conferences. He practices mainly from an Attachment informed, Psychodynamic, and Humanistic/Existential lens; he is also RAPPS (Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors) certified through the BPS (British Psychological Association). 
Links:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcast
Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/
Alex's Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralexrowell/

Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purposes.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Kids don’t “choose” impulsivity, shutdowns, school blow-ups or constant conflict at home, yet child protection and education systems still treat many of these behaviours like attitude problems. We sit down with William “Liam” Curran, a clinical social worker and international FASD educator, to unpack what fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) really looks like on the ground, especially the hidden presentation NDPAE (Neurodevelopmental Disorder Associated With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure) that can slip past clinicians because there are no obvious facial features.

We talk frankly about why proof of prenatal alcohol exposure is so hard to establish years later, and why that missing evidence can stall Australian diagnostic pathways even when a child’s profile screams executive functioning and adaptive functioning challenges. Liam explains how children can be bounced through foster care and schools, labelled as “bad”, and misdiagnosed with ADHD or other conditions, sometimes ending up on long lists of medications while the underlying brain-based disability remains unaddressed.

You’ll also hear a practical response: Liam’s five-step screening pathway that starts with ruling out genetic look-alikes, then uses behavioural, adaptive and executive functioning tools (including measures like the Vineland) to build an evidence-based picture before the system rushes to a label. We finish with prevention, culture, workforce training, and why “meeting needs first” is the only safe approach when services don’t magically appear after diagnosis.
William's Bio:
William (Liam) Curran, Ph.D., M.Sc., LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker originally from Ireland and currently based in Providence. Registered with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Liam brings extensive experience across multiple areas of child and family social work. Over the past 15 years, he has developed a strong focus on supporting caregivers and professionals working with individuals affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). His work centers on the identification, assessment, and practical response to suspected cases of prenatal alcohol exposure, with a particular emphasis on translating complex knowledge into real-world social work practice. Liam is a published author and an established educator, having delivered international training and professional development on FASD to social workers, caregivers, and multidisciplinary teams. His approach is grounded in the social model of disability, highlighting the lived experiences of individuals and families navigating often unrecognized neurodevelopmental challenges.
In addition to his clinical work conducting neurodevelopmental assessments for children and youth with or spectated FASD, Liam serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work at Simmons University, where he teaches both BSW and MSW students and advocates for bridging the gap between theory and practice. 
Links:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcast
Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/
William's Linked In: linkedin.com/in/william-curran-48a9b0337

Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purp
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A child breaks a window and the adults don’t rush to punishment. They sit with him, gather as a team, and ask a harder question: what have we been missing in his communication? That single moment opens up a deeper way to understand trauma, behaviour, and what “care” actually looks like when it’s done well. 

We’re joined by Paul Van Heeswijk, a highly experienced child psychotherapist and former consultant to the Cotswold Community. Paul shares the stories that shaped his practice, from early encounters with the deschooling movement to a formative visit to Cotswold and the influence of Donald Winnicott and Barbara Dockar-Drysdale. Along the way we unpack big ideas in plain language: behaviour as a request for something needed, mirroring and integration, and why teams often see different “parts” of the same child. 

We also get practical about the adults. Trauma-informed practice in residential care, foster care, schools, and CAMHS demands more than goodwill. Paul explains how children can pull carers into powerful roles, why reflective spaces help staff de-roll and reset, and how co-regulation sits beneath everything from Winnicott’s thinking to modern polyvagal theory. The closing message is a strong one: if we want better outcomes for children, we must invest in the adults who hold the work. 

If this conversation helps you rethink behaviour, care, and presence, please subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find Secure Start.
Paul's Bio:
Paul qualified as a Child Psychotherapist in 1981and is a Member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists. He was a Member of the Bowlby Centre until he retired in 2024. Paul worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Child Psychiatry in London since 1981, including a Tier 4 Eating Disorders Unit between 2009 and 2014.
Between 1991 and 2000 Paul was Consultant Psychotherapist to the Cotswold Community. He has also consulted to several other Social Care Organisations in Ireland and the UK, and to Foster Care Agencies in England.
Links:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcast
Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/

Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purposes, or have client consent to talk about in an educative context.
*Attributed to Donald Winnicott

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Kids in care don’t just wonder where they lived. They wonder why it happened and far too often they land on the most painful answer: it must have been my fault. I’m joined by Professor Richard Rose, founder of Therapeutic Life Story Work International, to talk about how trauma-informed storytelling can turn confusion, shame and “unknowns” into a narrative a child can actually live with.

We unpack what makes Therapeutic Life Story Work different from a traditional life story book. Richard explains why files and court documents are rarely “the truth”, how they’re shaped by pressure and perspective, and why we need to gather real human stories from the people who journeyed with the child, including birth parents and previous carers, when it’s safe and respectful to do so. He shares the Rose Model, starting with information banking and eco mapping, then moving into relationship-led direct work that keeps the child’s voice at the centre.

We also get practical about what helps placements hold. We talk attachment, behaviour as communication, and why understanding the past can reduce fear in the present. Richard describes how to avoid doing harm when talking about trauma, what “editor-in-chief” ownership looks like for children creating their own story, and when the work should pause or adapt, including using tools like All About Me. We finish with Richard’s training focus through Thea, the Trauma Health Education International Academy, and what carers need to stay steady in the face of vicarious trauma.

Richard's Bio:
Richard is the Director and Founder of Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi). TLSWi provides consultancy and training on Therapeutic Life Story Work and working with 'hard to reach' children and adolescents, and develops academic training programmes in the UK and Internationally. TLSW is the only evidenced based Life Story Model in the World, TLSWi also is the professional body for Therapeutic Life Story Work and engages in research, supervision and professional development of all members. Recently, Richard has founded THEiA, designed to provide funded training to all carers in the UK, and across the world, from May 2025. THEiA is also going to offer cost effective training for Trauma, Health and Education colleagues to support their work with traumatised children and their families.
 
Richard has worked with traumatised children and families since he was 17 years old, and in that time has been shaped by those he has journeyed with over the last 43 years. He qualified in Social Work in 1989 and since then worked in the UK in local authority child protection and the highly regarded residential therapeutic treatment agency SACCS, including four years as the Clinical Practice Director of the Mary Walsh Institute. 
  
Richard is the author of four books, as well as research and guest chapters in publications such as Children in Care and various papers within University Press. 
Links:
Richard's Website: https://tlswi.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcast
Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/

Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purposes, or have client consent to talk about in an educative con
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
A child’s acting out can look like defiance, chaos, or “bad behaviour” until you treat it as communication and ask what the adults are missing. That single shift changes everything, and it sits at the heart of my conversation with John Whitwell as we revisit the work and legacy of Barbara Docker-Drysdale, better known to many as Mrs D. John explains why her influence on therapeutic communities wasn’t just theory, it was the weekly discipline of helping staff teams think clearly under pressure. 

We dig into what her consultancy actually looks like at the Cotswold Community: regular team meetings across households and school, short sharp sessions that get to the point, and a strong expectation that staff keep learning. John walks through the practical backbone of the model, including structured need assessments that become living treatment plans. We also explore why her background as a mother doing hands-on wartime work with troubled children gives her a credibility that cuts through resistance in residential child care, foster care, and education settings. 

From there, we get specific about reflective supervision, self-awareness, and containment. John shares how Mrs D helps staff separate “what belongs to me” from “what belongs to the child”, why that skill protects teams from splitting and burnout, and why management alignment with the primary task is essential for trauma-informed care. If you work in child protection, therapeutic residential care, foster care support, or school wellbeing, this conversation offers concrete lessons on building a workforce that can stay steady and effective. 

If this resonates, follow the Secure Start Podcast, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more carers and leaders can find these ideas. What does good supervision look like where you work?
John's Bio:
John was formerly a UKCP registered Psychotherapist and a full member of the British Psychotherapy Foundation (BPF).
John was also the Chair of Trustees of the Gloucestershire Counselling Service and Trustee of the Planned Environment Therapy Trust and the Mulberry Bush Organisation.
Between 1985 and 1999 John was the Principal of the Cotswold Community a pioneering therapeutic community for emotionally unintegrated boys.
Thereafter, between  1999 and 2014 John was the Managing Director of Integrated Services Programme (ISP), the first therapeutic foster care programme in the UK.
Links:
John's Website: https://www.johnwhitwell.co.uk/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcast
Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/
Podcast site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.buzzsprout.com
Secure Start Site: https://securestart.com.au/

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purposes, or have client consent to talk about in an educative context.
Support the show