Beth Tumbridge

When something devastating happens within a church community, the impact rarely stops with the individuals who were directly involved. A sudden death, serious accident, abuse or safeguarding incident, suicide, major conflict, or other tragedy can affect an entire congregation. People may find themselves grieving, anxious, angry, confused, questioning their faith, exhausted or struggling to make sense of what has happened - sometimes long after the immediate crisis has passed. This is often...

Self-care is a fundamental part of being trauma-informed. When we are not looking after our own wellbeing, it can affect how we respond to others, making it harder to remain patient, compassionate, and regulated. Without recognising and addressing our own needs, we may unintentionally react in ways that are less helpful or even contribute to re-traumatising the very people we are trying to support. Prioritising self-care is not a luxury; it is an essential responsibility that enables us to...

Many of us carry assumptions about God that have been shaped by our own experiences of parents, carers, or authority figures. We may imagine God as distant, disappointed, hard to please, abusive, or uninterested in the details of our lives. This then has a profound impact on our faith, with passages like the one below sitting uncomfortably as we see it through our own experience. For many with attachment wounds, hearing of God as father will create a sense of deep discomfort. As churches, we...