ACC Funded Therapeutic Groups
The Holding Space
ACC funded therapeutic groups where healing is held, not forced.
Healing does not only happen in individual therapy. Sometimes it happens when we are gently witnessed. When our nervous system begins to settle in the presence of others. When we realise that our patterns make sense.
The Holding Space is the name we give to our ACC funded therapeutic groups. These groups are structured, trauma informed, and designed to support safety, regulation, self understanding, and relational steadiness alongside individual therapy.
A group environment where safety comes first.
The Holding Space reflects the way we work. We do not push. We do not expose. We do not require disclosure. We create structured, trauma informed spaces where safety, regulation, and understanding come first.
All groups are delivered within a trauma informed framework and integrate Internal Family Systems principles and awareness of the autonomic nervous system. Each programme is stabilisation focused and designed to sit alongside individual therapy.
The Holding Space is not about processing traumatic memories in depth. It is about creating a contained environment where participants can understand their protective responses, reconnect with the body at a manageable pace, and develop greater steadiness within themselves and in relationship with others.
Our ACC funded groups
Parts in Motion
An 8 week in person movement and parts awareness group.
Parts in Motion integrates Internal Family Systems with trauma sensitive movement. This group supports participants to gently reconnect with their bodies while developing awareness of protective parts and nervous system responses.
Suitability
This group may support those who feel disconnected from their bodies, overwhelmed by anxiety, or unsure how to regulate in daily life. The emphasis is on safety, choice, and slow reconnection.
Dates
- 7 August to 25 September 2026 · 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm
- 23 October to 11 December 2026 · 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm
Parts In Motion Online
An 8 week online movement and parts awareness group.
Parts In Motion Online integrates Internal Family Systems with trauma sensitive movement in an online setting. This group supports participants to gently reconnect with their bodies while developing awareness of protective parts and nervous system responses.
Suitability
This group may support those who feel disconnected from their bodies, overwhelmed by anxiety, or unsure how to regulate in daily life. The emphasis is on safety, choice, and slow reconnection.
Dates
- 7 August to 25 September 2026 · 10.00 am to 11.30 am
- 23 October to 11 December 2026 · 10.00 am to 11.30 am
Relational Safety
Understanding healthy relationships following sexual trauma.
Relational Safety is a one day structured therapeutic group focused on relational trauma. Grounded in Internal Family Systems and autonomic nervous system regulation, it supports participants to understand protective relational patterns, boundaries, consent, and healthy connection.
Suitability
This group is educational and stabilisation focused. The emphasis is on relational understanding, self led awareness, and rebuilding safety in connection.
Dates
- Term 1 · 27 March · 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
- Term 2 · 23 April · 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
- Term 3 · 23 July · 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
- Term 4 · 17 December · 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
Safe to Be Here
A three day in person female only therapeutic immersion.
Safe to Be Here is a three day trauma informed retreat designed to deepen nervous system safety, relational connection, and internal steadiness. This programme expands on Internal Family Systems principles, trauma sensitive yoga, emotional eating, and sleep hygiene. It offers extended time for integration, reflection, and embodied practice within a carefully held therapeutic environment.
Suitability
This retreat is suited to those recovering from sexual trauma who continue to experience difficulties with regulation, disrupted sleep, emotional eating, or other trauma related coping patterns, and who have sufficient stability to engage in a longer daytime group format. The emphasis is on deeper consolidation of regulation and embodied awareness.
Dates
- 16 to 18 October 2026 · 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
Who The Holding Space groups support.
The Holding Space groups are designed for adults who have experienced sexual or relational trauma and want to deepen their understanding of themselves in a structured and supportive group environment.
These programmes are particularly suited to those who are seeking greater stability, relational clarity, and nervous system regulation rather than trauma processing.
Participants are expected to be currently engaged in individual therapy with an approved ACC therapist and to have an accepted ACC Sensitive Claim. Group work is intended to complement, not replace, individual therapy. Ongoing one to one support provides an important foundation, ensuring that anything stirred in the group can be integrated safely and with continuity of care.
Participants are typically
Accepted ACC Sensitive Claim.
Currently engaged with an approved ACC therapist.
Emotionally stable enough to participate in a shared space.
Interested in stabilisation, regulation, and self understanding.
Ready to reflect on relational patterns, protective responses, and nervous system experiences.
Supported enough to integrate anything that may arise.
A stabilisation focused environment.
The Holding Space is not designed for acute crisis or for processing traumatic memories in depth. These groups prioritise safety, regulation, body awareness, internal understanding, and relational steadiness.
You do not need to feel completely confident or steady to attend, but you do need to feel sufficiently supported. If you are unsure whether a group is right for you, we welcome a conversation with you and your therapist to explore suitability.
These groups are not a replacement for individual therapy. They are designed to sit alongside ongoing therapeutic support.
Healing is held, not forced.
The Holding Space is a structured and carefully facilitated environment designed with safety as its foundation. The atmosphere is calm, predictable, and intentionally paced so that nothing feels rushed or overwhelming. From the outset, the focus is on steadiness and containment rather than intensity or pressure.
Our work weaves together Internal Family Systems principles, nervous system awareness, trauma sensitive yoga foundations, meditation, and an understanding of relational trauma. We recognise that protective patterns develop for good reasons and that the body often responds before the mind has words.
We hold the understanding that safety must come before depth, and that regulation and awareness create the conditions for meaningful change. There is no requirement to share personal history, and there is no pressure to disclose experiences. Participants are supported to notice their own internal experience at a pace that feels manageable.
A clear, contained, and gently paced process.
Structured beginnings and endings.
Gentle regulation practices.
Parts awareness.
Breath work.
Trauma sensitive movement.
Guided reflection.
Breaks and integration time.
Support available throughout.
No pressure to disclose personal trauma details.
A relational space without forced vulnerability.
The space is relational without being exposing. Participants are alongside others in a shared therapeutic environment, yet they are not required to perform connection or vulnerability. The groups are small enough to feel contained and structured enough to feel predictable.
What participants have shared.
“This was a gentle but powerful exploration of my inner world, assisting me to connect with parts of myself and meet them where they are with openness and curiosity. It helped me to foster a greater appreciation for myself and to act with more kindness going forward.”
Group Participant
“I have found myself more self aware of my physical triggers, where they originate from, and to show them kindness and work on healing them. I have been much calmer and have been able to calm down the overwhelming feeling when it gets activated, which I had not been able to do prior to attending the group.”
Group Participant
“I found everything to be calm and inviting. All of the women were lovely and understanding. This is something I am keen to do again in the future. I highly recommend the Parts in Motion group. I found it enlightening and healing.”
Group Participant
How to join The Holding Space.
Speak with your therapist.
If you are interested in attending one of The Holding Space groups, the first step is to speak with your therapist.
Your therapist contacts your Recovery Partner.
Your therapist will contact your Recovery Partner to request approval for the specific group.
Approval is confirmed.
Once approval is confirmed, we will arrange a brief screening conversation to ensure the group is the right fit and that you feel supported.
Registration is completed.
Once suitability is confirmed, we will provide the next steps for joining the group.
For therapists and providers.
If you are a therapist considering referral, please review the relevant group information and contact your client's Recovery Partner to request approval. Once approval is confirmed, you are welcome to contact Trauma Release Centre directly to discuss suitability and registration.
Meet the facilitators.
Angela M Carter
Angela is a trauma therapist who works primarily with Internal Family Systems, supporting people to understand their internal world and build a compassionate relationship with the parts of themselves shaped by relational and sexual trauma. She has trained with the Trauma Research Foundation, through the IFS Institute with Richard Schwartz, in the Safe and Sound Protocol developed by Stephen Porges, and with polyvagal applications informed by Deb Dana. She brings a relational, grounded, and respectful approach to trauma recovery and creates a safe place for people to land.
Alessandra Marchisio
Alessandra is a registered mental health occupational therapist and a certified Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) facilitator, having completed her training through the Trauma Research Foundation, founded by Bessel van der Kolk. She brings a strong clinical and functional lens to body-based practice, with particular expertise in autonomic nervous system regulation, sensory integration, daily structure, and trauma-informed movement. Alessandra supports participants in reconnecting with their bodies in ways that feel safe, choice-led, and empowering, while helping them translate embodied awareness into practical changes in everyday life.
Frequently asked questions
