BEVERLEY ANN

Together with her own lived experience as a survivor of abuse and in her professional work, Beverley works with clients who make substantial changes to their own physical, mental (neurological) and emotional wellness; including those that have been bed bound and/ or restricted in their everyday lives with chronic illness and pain.

In her early childhood at the age of 4, she remembers the day the police came and took her mum, siblings and herself in the back of a police van to the local police station. It was there that all 3 children were separated from their mum, and taken into a children’s home. A couple of years later another sibling joined them at 6 months old and. She still remembers that first night of being bathed, tried and having clean pyjamas and a bed to sleep in – whilst she was sad to be separated from her mum, being in care for her was the best place, it was safe and also comfortable. At the age of 10 they returned home to both parents and 2 other siblings and very quickly Beverley became the main carer, cleaning, shopping and cooking for the family as her parents were in a toxic relationship and alcoholics. By the time she was 13 there was no gas or electricity, when the NSPCC turned up following several concerned callers. November 8, 1977, when returning from School, her social worker was there to take back herself and 2 siblings to a children’s home under the original court order from when she was 4 years old for neglect. The 3 youngest siblings went to a different borough as they were not under a court order and became separated. She wanted to return to care, albeit it was a different one and at 15 she was fostered by her English Teacher. Sadly within a year this placement had broken down and at the age of 16 she lived in a hostel in Bromley, Kent. That Christmas sitting round the table, were several other vulnerable young people and she realised that whilst they had adults around them making decisions, no one had actually asked any of them their story – Beverley had 13 Social workers in 14 years! What no-one had never asked her, was; Why at the age of 10, did she have night terrors when she knew she was going home to live with her Parents? Sadly her Dad had started to sexually abuse her as she turned 4 years old, before she even went into care. Also his friend started when she was about 7 on the visits home. It was following a frank and honest conversation with Beverley when she was 15 with “Auntie Helen” who ran the 2nd children’s home about the difference between sex and intimacy, with having choices that Beverley realised the full horror of what had been happening. She was unable to tell anyone at that time, however the next visit home she was able to stop the Abuse happening again. It was after having children, that Beverley Ann at the age of 30 that Beverley reached out to a Charity for support and counselling for Sexual Abuse and started her own recovery journey.

Following that she became ill with various illnesses, Meningitis, kidney stones, Shingles of the Mouth, regular viruses and sore throat, finally being diagnosed as a Chronic Asthmatic. Following Divorce, closure of 2 businesses, Bankruptcy, separation from family, Beverley remembered her vision from when she was 16. She then researched at started studying to become a Wellness Coach with The Chrysalis Effect , learning about the impact of Trauma and Stress on the mind and body and the predisposed medical outcomes of Adverse Childhood Experiences. With a passion for learning, and study combined with her Lived Experience she is now a Trauma Specialist Recovery Practitioner with numerous certifications and specialises in Mind/Body Medicine under both TCE and SIRPA.

Our bodies are amazing and work hard to keep us safe and survive. By learning to acknowledge and understand what is happening physically in our bodies, we can start to respond by using different selfcare tools and techniques, that enable us to calm our stress and trauma responses. When we have an understanding of how we respond to different environments and relationships, we can further acknowledge our thoughts and emotional needs, to enable recovery, healing and balance in everyday life.

Through her work as a Speaker and Facilitator, she share’s her own experience to raise awareness of everyday trauma, and believes that by opening conversations about difficult subjects, we are able to change how we approach recovery together, with pro-active prevention and intervention going forward, for children, young people and vulnerable Adults.

As the founder of The StepForward Practice in 2017 and member of the Institute of Recovery from Childhood Trauma (IRCT) Beverley Ann is proud to be an award winning, accredited and outstanding Recovery Practitioner for chronic fatigue and Pain, specialising in adults overcoming Adverse Childhood experiences (ACEs).. In addition she has hosted several events across different sectors including speaking with Category D young male prisoners, hosting Q&A panels at various schools for Teachers and Parents, including Social Care week March 2023 for social workers and mental health practitioners.

Today, Beverley is happily remarried a year ago, is currently studying a Degree at The Open University and co-hosts a Podcast called “Breaking The Cycle To StepForward” with a colleague Chris Tuck who is also a survivor of Child Sexual Abuse, Emotional, Physical and Sexual and together they use their voice to raise awareness, education and to enable change and support.

To explore the best next StepForward for you, contact me via email beverley@ stepforwardpractice.co.uk or my website where you can find more information about interactive wellness group workshops and coaching 1:1.

“Trauma and Adversity affects us all in individual ways, and I believer that with the right awareness and information we can make the best choices for ourselves, to create the life we want to live – most importantly though Learning to Love Yourself is the greatest Love as in the words of George Benson and Whitney Houston” Beverley Ann.