The Wellbeing 5 Project
Dr. Karen Treisman, MBE
Safe Hands Thinking Minds
The Mental Wellbeing 5
5 Simple Questions to help with mental wellbeing with answers from Experts, Thought Leaders, Campaigners & Advocates
Dr. Karen Treisman, MBE
Dr. Treisman is a highly specialist clinical psychologist & trauma specialist, trainer, TEDx speaker, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) Fellow 2018 and author.
Dr. Treisman holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and has worked in the UK National Health Service (NHS) & children’s services as well as cross-culturally in both Africa and Asia with groups ranging from former child soldiers to survivors of the Rwandan Genocide. She has specialist training in a range of therapies including EMDR, Narrative Therapy, Narrative Exposure Therapy, Trauma-focused CBT, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Systemic Psychotherapy, Video Interaction Guidance, Sensory Approaches, Theraplay, amongst others.
Dr. Treisman also specialises in supporting organisations and systems to move towards becoming, and to sustain adversity, culturally and, trauma-informed, infused, and responsive practice. She was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship Travel Award which involved visiting several places in the USA to study whole system and organisational approaches to trauma-informed and trauma-responsive care.
Dr Treisman has won a number of awards including Psychology Professional of the Year Award for Excellence in Attachment and Trauma, Youth Psychology Professional of the Year 2020, an MBE for outstanding services for children and is on the Queens 2020 Honours list.
Dr. Treisman is the author of 11 books including the best-selling, “A Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children and Adolescents with Developmental Trauma: Creative techniques and activities”. She has also developed toys, cards and worksheets to help children from a therapeutic perspective.
Find out more about Dr. Treisman here
The Mental Wellbeing 5 with Dr. Karen Treisman, MBE
1. What is your favourite quote, anecdote, proverb or experience that helps with mental wellbeing?
Dr. Treisman: My favourite quote about well-being is from the wellness project in Kenya “well-being leads to welldoing”; and the quote by Rachel Remen “the expectation that you can be immersed in suffering and loss on a daily basis and not be impacted by it is thinking you can walk through water and not get wet”.
2. What is your top piece of advice for mental wellbeing?
Dr. Treisman: Tricky one as there are so many. I guess that we can’t pour from an empty cup and that well-being should be integrated into our day to day lives like brushing teeth. We can’t regulate others if we are dysregulated.
3. What is the one change in the world that you would like to see? (in your area of wellbeing or in the world in general or both)
Dr. Treisman: So many changes but I guess from a well-being point of view that we did community and collective care. As well as creating systems and teams that acknowledge the impact of the work and that professionals are people and so move towards meaningfully having organisations that are humanising, trauma reducing instead of trauma inducing.
4. Which resources (books / websites / videos etc) for wellbeing would you recommend?
Dr. Treisman: Brene Brown has some great resources. My website http://safehandsthinkingminds.co.Uk is full of some of my fave podcasts, websites and resources focusing on well-being as well as a range of other areas.
5. What’s the one thing that always makes you smile?
Dr. Treisman: Photos of my travels and time in Africa. Doing art. Being with people I love. Certain music. Sunsets. Puppies. Being in nature and so much more.
Bonus Question! Is there anything else pertinent you would like to add to the conversation?
Dr. Treisman: There are so many blocks and barriers around our own well-being and discourses around toxic positivity, being “fine”, being rainbows and fairies, being “selfish”- so it feels so important to connect with our own beliefs, values, benefits and more around this.
Further Exploration - Dr. Karen Treisman, MBE
Website: Safe Hands Thinking Minds
Dr. Treisman's website, "Safe Hand Thinking Minds" containing a wealth of information to support child and adult well-being including; Training & Workshops, Consultancy, Events & News, Creative Resources, Links, Websites & Podcasts, Trauma-Informed Organsitatiosn, Books, Cards, Toys & Worksheets, Covid, Anxiety, Stress Resources & Links and Online Training.
Book: Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children and Adolescents with Developmental Trauma: Creative Activities and Tools
Dr. Treisman's book containing over 100 illustrated worksheets and handouts, top tips, recommended sample questions, and photographed examples to inspire and support those working with children who have experienced relational and developmental trauma. The treasure box draws on a range of therapeutic models including systemic, psychodynamic, trauma, sensory, neurobiological, neurocognitive, attachment, cognitive behavioural, and creative ideas to explain how we understand trauma and its impact on children, teens and their families.
This link contains information about The Therapeutic Treasure Box and many other of Dr. Treisman's books, toys, cards and worksheets.
Talk: Good relationships are the key to healing trauma
Dr Treisman's TEDx talk explaining the importance of forging good relationships and effective society-wide systems when it comes to understanding and healing trauma.
Social Media - Follow Dr. Treisman below
More Mental Wellbeing 5 Interviews Below
More Mental Wellbeing 5 Interviews
With answers from experts, thought leaders, advocates and campaigners to help with mental wellbeing