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Glimmer
Definition: A faint glow of light, a suggestion of possibility, 'a glimmer of hope'.
In the trauma literature: The opposite of a 'trigger' - moments that spark joy, warmth and/or peace - fostering comfort, safety, connection, self-compassion, and nervous system regulation. 'Glimmer-seeking': The practice of intentionally noticing glimmers to promote gratitude, wellbeing, resilience, and healing.
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GPS lead: Dr. Alexandra Gregory
Educational and Child Psychologist
Qualified teacher; NME trained; ELSA supervisor; Independent Visitor; Mother ♥
BSc, PGCE, O. A. Dip, DEdPsy, CPsychol
A very warm welcome to Glimmer Psychology Services - thank you for visiting our website. GPS is an educational psychology and family support service. We provide psychological support in education for children and young people, families, professionals, and organisations, through the roles of consultation, supervision, assessment, intervention, training, and research. Based in Worthing, West Sussex, we typically work across South East England.
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Mission & values
The GPS mission is to promote hope, drive positive change, and help make a difference for children and young people, particularly those within vulnerable groups, as well as for all those who support them. We aim to integrate evidence-based psychological research, with real-world practice-based experience, and the personal and professional expertise of all those we work with, in order to contribute meaningfully to child, family, staff and school development outcomes. ​​
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Our core values involve ways of working that are psychological, respectful, relational, nurturing, compassionate, curious, reflective, aspirational, empowering, holistic, flexible, creative, inclusive, collaborative, ethical, and systemic, as well as person-centred, trauma-informed, evidence-based, strengths-based, and solution-oriented.
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Specialist interests
Alex has specialist interests in support for siblings of children with complex needs, and in developmental trauma, with lived family experiences in these areas. As a mum, she is particularly passionate about parent/carer support and wellbeing, as well as attachment and nurtured parenting approaches, especially important in the critical early years for attachment security, stress resilience, emotional regulation, and consequent mental health and wellbeing. She is also an advocate of person-centred planning processes for young people, psychological supervision for school staff, and positive psychology (aka the science of wellbeing and flourishing). Within schools, Alex is particularly keen to work with specialist social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) settings, with children and young people who have care experiences, and those who have been excluded (or are at-risk of exclusion) from mainstream settings.
Current GPS Services
Developmental
trauma
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Training: Having completed the NME (the Neurosequential Model in Education) Trainer programme with Dr Bruce Perry and the Neurosequential Network in America - we provide training and psychological supervision to schools in neurobiological trauma-informed approaches to promote regulation, relationships, and readiness for learning. We also offer introductory training in stress, trauma and attachment.
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Casework: We offer consultation, assessment, and supervisory support for children with early experiences of trauma and attachment disruption.
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Volunteering: Alex works as an Independent Visitor (befriender) for a young person in foster care.
Sibling/family
support
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Family support: We are hoping to set up workshops and a local support group/reflective space for parents/carers, focusing on parental wellbeing and drawing on evidence-based attachment and nurtured parenting approaches.
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Sibling events: We run talks and workshops for siblings of children with additional needs.
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Volunteering - sibling sessions: We assist with sibling support group sessions and events through Super Siblings.
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Volunteering - sibling research: We help co-supervise masters and doctoral sibling research projects at the University of Southampton - along-side Dr Hanna Kovshoff and Professor Richard Hastings.
Staff
supervision
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Staff supervision: We facilitate individual and group psychological supervision sessions for educational professionals, including members of senior leadership teams.
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ELSA supervision: We run group supervision sessions for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (the ELSA programme) within early years, primary, secondary and specialist settings through Psychology First.
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Trauma-informed supervision: We facilitate regular ongoing group supervision for settings who have received trauma-informed training.
Additional
EP work
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Link EP: We offer a link EP service for schools.
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Consultation: We offer consultation services for schools, families and/or professionals.
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PCP: We facilitate person-centred planning meetings for children and young people, professionals, school teams, and organisations.
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Casework: We carry out assessment work, including casework over time.
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EP role: We run sessions for college and university psychology students on the EP role.
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Statutory: We provide Associate EP psychological advice for Education Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) directly through West Sussex County Council.
