Holistic Healing-Mind, Body, Soul
Located in the historic town of Hawick in the picturesque Scottish Borders, A Positive Start CIC (APS CIC) is a trauma-informed, emotional health and wellbeing community interest company. APS CIC is dedicated to supporting community mental health through professional counselling, holistic therapy, and psycho-education.
At APS CIC, healing begins with feeling truly seen and heard. The organisation fosters a safe, non-judgmental space where individuals receive reassurance, understanding, and practical support. Rooted in person-centred principles—congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathetic awareness—every interaction is designed to cultivate trust and encourage personal growth.
Central to APS CIC’s approach is the TRUST framework—Trigger Recognition, Reassurance, Understanding, Safety, and Truth. This trauma-informed model ensures individuals receive consistent, compassionate care that acknowledges their experiences while guiding them toward healing and self-empowerment.
APS CIC also proudly delivers the STAND: Parents as Protectors program, equipping parents, carers, and guardians with the tools to safeguard young lives. This initiative helps participants strengthen their instincts, recognise subtle signs of harm, and take confident, informed action in protecting children.
Operating on a balanced and inclusive model, APS CIC collaborates with self-employed therapists who provide care for both paying and non-paying clients, ensuring equitable access to support. This approach prioritizes community wellbeing, making quality therapeutic care available to all.
Through a holistic integration of mind, body, and spirit, APS CIC is committed to helping individuals heal, grow, and reclaim their wellbeing. Join us in building a safer, healthier, and more compassionate, trauma-informed society.
Championing professional education for Life Skills
“Global Presence Ambassador” is an honorary designation awarded passionate Life Skills pioneers around the world. Ambassadors come from a broad array of backgrounds and professions, reflecting the diversity of Life Skills employed in the twenty-first century and a glimpse of future vibrancy.
Parenting 2.0 recognises that life skills – from emotional regulation to effective communication – are just as essential as academic learning. As the creators of Reconnect & Regulate, our work focuses on helping individuals, families and communities recognise, understand and heal from trauma, build resilience and foster deeper connections.
Person-Centred Counselling
Supporting Your Journey with Knowledge and Care
Person-Centred Counselling
Seeking support can be a courageous step, and person-centred counselling offers a secure, confidential, and non-judgmental space for individuals to explore their thoughts and emotions at their own pace. Your initial session is an opportunity to meet your counsellor, ask questions, and determine whether our approach feels right for you. This session also serves as a gentle assessment, ensuring we can provide the most appropriate and effective support for your needs.
We believe in holistic wellbeing and offer a variety of tools to help manage emotions. One of these is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)—a safe, gentle, and non-invasive therapy that many find beneficial in releasing emotional stress and restoring balance.
While we strive to offer meaningful support, our services may not be suitable for those experiencing an immediate crisis. If you or someone you know is in danger or needs urgent help, please reach out to emergency services or contact Samaritans for immediate support. You are not alone, and help is available.
S.T.A.N.D - Stop, Think, Act, Never Doubt
STAND serves as a powerful mnemonic in the recovery process, helping individuals regain awareness and control. Between a trigger and our response lies a crucial space—one where choice, reflection, and empowerment exist. Learning to recognize this gap allows you to step into your strength, respond with clarity, and reclaim your personal power.
STAND -Parents as Protectors
Experiencing trauma can profoundly shake a person's confidence, leading to deep self-doubt that may hinder healing. STAND – Parents as Protectors is designed to support individuals in rebuilding trust in themselves, recognising their inner strength and resilience, and moving forward with confidence.
In a world where manipulation, exploitation, abuse, and coercive control threaten both children and adults, awareness and understanding are powerful tools for prevention. This workshop was developed to shed light on these behaviours, helping participants recognise the warning signs, understand how these dynamics unfold, and take informed steps to protect and empower themselves and others.
At its heart, STAND champions the belief that influence can take two forms—manipulation or inspiration. By equipping individuals with knowledge, self-awareness, and practical strategies, this program fosters inspiration-driven protection, ensuring children and families remain safe, informed, and resilient.
Lived Experience Insight
"People only seriously consider change when they feel accepted for exactly who they are." – Carl Rogers
Our Approach to Healing
At A Positive Start CIC, we recognise the profound importance of lived experience in our healing journey. We support individuals in using their knowledge and experiences to develop and grow, helping them recognize, cope with, and heal emotionally from the impact of trauma.
"We cannot avoid trauma; suffering is part of the human condition. If we try to deny it, we create more suffering. If we try to avoid painful experiences, we create more pain." - Dr. Peter Levine
Our small, empathetic team of Lived Experience Practitioners, also known as "wounded healers," brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organisation. Continued professional development is essential to our growth and success. We are passionate about supporting people holistically on a compassionate journey of self-discovery and recovery.
Honest Collaboration & Lived Experience Insight
At A Positive Start CIC, we collaborate with individuals and organizations that see the person, not the problem. Our partnerships are built on honest communication, acceptance, and trust, ensuring healing begins where people truly are, not where others expect them to be.
Through lived experience insight, we recognize that what may seem like attention-seeking is often connection-seeking from a state of survival. Understanding these responses is key to providing trauma-informed support, ensuring individuals feel safe, understood, and empowered.
We combine lived experience with evidence-based practice, using critical thinking and research to shape effective services. Recognizing that experiences vary, we gather diverse perspectives for a more inclusive understanding of trauma and healing.
Our Training & Workshops
Trauma-Informed Learning at A Positive Start CIC
At A Positive Start CIC, we blend lived experience with the latest scientific research to develop innovative training courses, workshops, and webinars on a wide range of topics we are passionate about.
Our Trauma-Informed TRUST Workshop, a fully accredited online program, is designed for adults and professionals working with trauma survivors. This workshop explores the far-reaching effects of trauma on individuals, relationships, children, and communities, offering valuable insights and practical tools to foster healing and resilience.
At the core of our work is the TRUST framework—Trigger Identification, Reassurance, Understanding, Safety, and Truth. This structured approach creates a compassionate, informed space where healing can begin.
Connecting Mind, Body and Soul
Spiritual wellness is a deeply personal journey, shaping how we connect with ourselves, others, and the world around us. It does not necessarily mean following a religious path, though faith and spirituality often share overlapping values and practices. True spiritual health is about finding balance, purpose, and inner peace.
At our core, we are energy first—a truth recognized by both science and spirituality. Every cell in the body carries an electrical charge, the heart generates an electromagnetic field, and the brain communicates through electrical impulses. Understanding this energetic connection can be a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery.
For those who embrace Christian faith, spiritual connection may be deepened through prayer, scripture, and reflection, offering strength, comfort, and guidance. Others may find their spiritual wellbeing nurtured through mindfulness, time in nature, meditation, or holistic practices.
To support this journey, we offer a range of holistic therapies designed to foster balance, healing, and deeper self-awareness. Whether through energy healing, guided reflection, or integrative wellbeing practices, individuals are encouraged to explore what resonates with their personal path.
Embracing spiritual wellness allows for greater clarity, resilience, and inner harmony, creating space for deeper healing and meaningful connection to oneself and the wider world.
Help us expand our trauma-informed emotional regulation work.
Your donation supports accessible workshops, resource creation, therapy and the growth of a community built on compassion, safety and healing. Every contribution makes a difference.
Our Professional Memberships
We are proud to be members of trusted organisations that reflect our commitment to ethical practice, child protection, and social impact.
These memberships help ensure our work remains rooted in professional standards and values.
Membership No: 8657 Expires 18/01/2026