Ebony Murray

Lecturer in Psychological Sciences & Academic Course Leader of Psychology (BSc) at University of Gloucestershire

We held our Psychology in the Community event last week, in collaboration with the University of Gloucestershire (where I am a Lecturer in Psychological Sciences) and the British Psychological Society (of which I am a West Midlands Branch committee member). Psychology in the Community is a free-to-attend, public event. Carl gave a powerful and engaging talk about trauma and PTSD, reflecting on his personal experiences and keeping us hooked to the end! His use of props helped us visualise his core message, as did the very catchy SLAP acronym. We thank Carl for taking the time to support our event and sharing his story.

Aimee Fowles HMCTS

-Having attended the conference yesterday I just wanted to say thank you for asking Carl to talk to the group. When we are promoted into management roles there is no training given on how to deal with supporting staff and colleagues that go through crisis at work other than the usually signposting of services.

-3 years ago I had to deal with a member of staff that experienced a breakdown at work.  I took them out of the building, sat with them over a coffee, listed and formulated a plan of support and action with them. I had no idea if I was doing the right thing but I knew that I could not leave them or send them home in distress.

-Not all colleagues would feel comfortable or confident dealing with situations like this, I certainly was not. Knowledge of the SLAP someone technique would have really helped me, and I feel it would be beneficial to raise wider awareness of it.

Dawn Evans Ajuda Academy

Carl’s knowledge and passion around the subject of PTSD is second to none, and his expert manner of presenting his SLAP talk left our audience feeling awe-inspired, emotional and motivated to make a change in their community around the attitudes towards PTSD sufferers.  We received fantastic feedback from our audience regarding Carl’s talk and can’t wait to work with him again soon. If you are looking for an expert on PTSD and personal mental health experience, the whole team at Ajuda Events would highly recommend Carl.

Nathan Fox MBACP Adv Dip Counselling :

Carl’s story is one of courage, not only in the course of his job but also in the face of his PTSD. Carl has channeled his experience into helping others who are also struggling, and has taken on the giant task of changing people’s conceptions of mental health. Taking positive action can help to take control of a situation and give us hope for the future.