Body & Soul delivers a proven transformational programme for people of all ages who have had adverse childhood experiences.

Set up 20 years ago to support children, adolescents and families living with HIV, Body & Soul has pioneered a whole-person model of care that has now been extended to other groups, including children who have been adopted and young people who have attempted suicide.

Body & Soul believes that transformational change does not have an age limit. People should be able to live their lives free of shame, and no one should have their life chances reduced because of traumatic experiences in their past.

The award-winning campaign, Life in my Shoes, aims to challenge attitudes to difference and build empathy through education.

The specially designed centre in Clerkenwell, London boasts five floors of state of the art care and wellbeing facilities, including therapy rooms, a chef’s kitchen, a seminar room, a games room and sound studio, and an Ofsted-approved children’s centre.

Body & Soul members have access to a full range of services that reflects the whole-person approach. These include one-to-one as well as group therapeutic support, health and wellbeing seminars, legal support and advocacy, psycho-education, employment programmes and complementary therapies (e.g. shiatsu, massage).

The programmes are monitored through internal evaluation as well as independent audits. They focus on five key areas: physical health; mental health; psychosocial health; practical support; and the productivity of the members.

The approach is evidence based. It is informed by a substantial body of research showing that the stress associated with adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, violence and dysfunction can have life-long consequences for health and well-being. According to the World Health Organization, “such stress can lead to serious problems such as alcoholism, depression, eating disorders, unsafe sex, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases”.

Complex issues require comprehensive responses, but with the right intervention at the right time, the Body & Soul model builds hope and resilience. The approach is grounded in responsive, expert programming with the aim of maximising pathways for achievement and continuous learning in an environment of aspiration.

Emma Colyer MBE, director of Body & Soul, says: “In many ways, Body & Soul has changed and grown massively over the past 20 years, but the work they do is still underpinned by three fundamental values: bravery, love and wisdom. Everything they do follows from these, and they will continue as the bedrock of the work they do into the future.”

Mission

Body & Soul wants to see a world where people are able to live their lives free of shame, and no one has their life chances reduced because of traumatic experiences in their past.