Ali Gibbs
Freelance Trainer, Facilitator and Coach
About Me
I have been coaching, training and facilitating groups for over 34 years. I use the power of my own lived experience, and know the impact of others understanding and owning their own.I enjoy supporting people to identify the drivers of their behaviour and to make the changes they want to achieve.I am an NLP Practitioner experienced in coaching and training, including work with adults and young people, professionals and service users. I have a specialism and passion for working with women.My work is impactful and experiential, using discussion, games and theoretical models with reflective discussion and application. Participants learn through the materials but also from one another.I embrace the tools of conflict resolution, development of communication and emotional management. Both my work and my personal life reflect my commitment to the wellbeing of self and others and to the freedom of expression.
Areas of practice
I specialise in emotional management and personal growth.This includes:Challenging Behaviour and Conflict - Working with Substance Use - Team Building - Facilitating Groups Effectively - Communication Skills - Professional Boundaries - Assertiveness and Self Esteem - Goal Setting - Decision Making - Trauma Informed Practice - Mediation - NLP Techniques - Transition training and support for people with lived experience - Training for Trainers: either staff or peer roles
my offers
I provide the followingDesigning, planning and facilitating impactful training
Individual and team supervision and reflective practice
Emotional management and life coaching
Individual coaching and mentoring
Train the Trainer - with staff or co-delivery with service users
Holding space through challenge
Working professionally in line with procedures and best practice, while working relationally and authentically
Co-delivery with peer workers or co-trainers if requested
training
Examples of Pre-designed Courses
online and in personWorking with Challenge and Conflict
Co-production: Identity and Managing Conflict
Leadership: Who I am & Who I can be
Transition: From service user to professional
Trauma Informed PracticeBespoke Courses
I will work with you to design a custom solution for your team or beneficiaries.
Examples of my work
My work is extensive, these are just a few diverse examplesHMP YOI Bronzefield working on behalf of Leap Confronting Conflict, I designed and delivered training introducing concepts of self and conflict management to all women entering the prison as part of the induction programme. I designed and delivered training for peer-workers from the prison, then co-delivered self-leadership and induction training with these peer workers. Alongside this work with the residents, I trained all new prison officers in best practice when working with challenging behaviour.Change Grow Live (formerly the Crime Reduction Initiative). I designed and delivered in person training across the UK to staff at Change Grow Live in two day training courses. These training courses focused on self-awareness, empathy creation, communication and best practice in working with clients, particularly when clients exhibit challenging behaviour. I co-designed a course for young people, working in small groups and 1:1 settings to support them to manage their emotions and achieve their goals.Oasis Drug Project I designed and delivered training in assertiveness for service users. Following the success of this training in both the content and the methodology, I became a key worker supporting individual women and was engaged to support other external trainers in how to hold space with this client group.CLASH (Central London Action on Street Health) I delivered detached work in central London, engaging, training and supporting service users and professionals. I trained trainee doctors and nurses in how to effectively work with the needs of their service users.I am also a part of the Courageous Spaces team of facilitators, creatively exploring the impact of race and racism on our lives. For more information see https://www.courageousspaces.co.uk/
where i've worked
I have worked across hundreds of secure, social care and community settings that include, but are not limited to:HMP YOI Bronzefield, HMP Holloway, HMP Spring Hill, HMP Highpoint, HMP Pentonville, HMP Wandsworth, HMP Drake Hall, HMP Stocken, East Sussex Probation Service.Leap Confronting Conflict, Positively Women, Raleigh International, Phoenix house, Terrence Higgins Trust, The Queen Mother’s Youth Centre, Camden Youth Service, CRI (The Crime Reduction Initiative, now Change Grow Live), New Horisons Youth Service, Oasis (the Women’s Drugs Centre), CLASH (Central London Action on Street Health), Ruskin College Oxford, Barnardos, Mainliners, City Roads.Newham Social Services, Hackney DAAT, Brighton Social Services, Newham Social Services, Southern Housing Association, Capital Housing.
Testimonials
Ali is a competent and personable trainer. Her ability to engage learners with a plethora of tools, activities, and methods is very impressive. Ali’s sessions are participative and this enables trainees to adopt appropriate behaviours that they can implement in their personal and professional life.
Tayo Ogunyemi, Learning & Development Manager - HMP & YOI Bronzefield
I met Ali when I was serving 2 and a half year sentence at Bronzefield. It was a time in my life where I felt worthless and inadequate and the people around me just confirmed that feeling, until I met Ali. Ali was facilitating the understanding conflict course.
Ali is honest, non-judgemental, kind and most importantly she is inspirational. She has a way about her that allows the other person to be completely themselves without the fear of judgement. She never treated me as a worthless inferior person, in fact quite the opposite, she gave me tools to help me see things in a different way and she truly believed in me.
I cannot thank her enough for teaching me to take back my power.
Peer Worker - HMP YOI Bronzefield
Ali is an excellent trainer and incredibly knowledgeable in her subject matter. She works with integrity, guiding and challenging participants with authenticity to create impactful learning experiences. She is able to hold groups with high needs or challenging behaviour with seeming ease and skill.
Stephanie Papapavlou, Former Director of Impact and Innovation - Leap Confronting Conflict