Gail Humphrey

I am an experienced children’s nurse, with roles in hospital, community settings, and as Head of Care in the hospice world. I also became a parent through adoption.

I used therapeutic parenting approaches, which were successful to a point, but there was still an ongoing struggle. I travelled to an introductory NVR workshop with some scepticism, I’ll admit, but I decided to give

the principles a go. What followed was a shift and change - it felt like the missing link.

At the time, there were no local courses, so I decided to train as an NVR Practitioner in order to support other parents. I now provide NVR support to Adoption Tees Valley and More than Grandparents, a kinship

care charity.

Conference Interactive Session

The Game - Self Care, Presence and Connection in NVR

Workshop overview:

Many parents describe their experience as, “I’m OK if my child is OK.” This powerful but exhausting mindset was the starting point for The Game — a simple, visual way to explore why self-care must be an integral part of the NVR journey.

Developed through reflective practice and refined through group work, The Game has been used with a variety of parent and carer groups and adapted over time to suit different settings.

Using a straightforward and accessible concept, The Game helps highlight the importance of self-care while opening up discussion around:

• parent presence

• de-escalation

• the impact of trauma

• neurodiversity

• how relational gestures are given and received

What to Expect:

This workshop will:

• demonstrate the use of The Game in practice

• encourage reflective discussion and shared learning

• offer practical guidance on how the approach can be incorporated into your own work with parents and carers

The session is interactive, thoughtful, and grounded in real-world experience, supporting both professional practice and personal reflection.