Meet the Team

Hi, my name is Fiona Ford - I am a Behaviour Support Practitioner at The Acorn Centre

My work is grounded in a deeply therapeutic and relational approach, shaped by many years of supporting children and the adults around them. I transferred to my career within education 20 years ago as a Teaching Assistant and HLTA, where I was also part of a pastoral team offering emotional support, including work around bereavement and loss. These experiences formed the foundation of my commitment to understanding children’s internal worlds and responding with empathy, attunement, and safety. 

For the past eight years at the Acorn Centre, I have worked within a nurturing environment that values connection, coregulation, and the belief that behaviour is a form of communication. My specialist interest lies in Trauma and Attachment, exploring how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) influence a child’s wellbeing, relationships, and daily regulation. I am passionate about helping children make sense of what is happening in their bodies and brains when they become heightened, empowering them with emotional understanding and tools for self-regulation. 

Alongside my direct work with children and families, I am committed to supporting school staff in developing traumainformed, relational practice. I regularly collaborate with teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral teams and school leaders to ensure each child has every opportunity to feel understood, supported, and able to achieve their full potential whether this is based within the learning environment or at The Acorn Centre. This includes modelling strategies, offering reflective conversations, and helping staff apply therapeutic approaches that promote emotional safety, consistency, and connection. I value the opportunity to walk alongside staff, helping them feel equipped, understood, and supported in their roles whilst they are supporting children that have reached us here at The Acorn Centre. 

My practice draws on a wide range of therapeutic and relational frameworks. My training and experience include THRIVE (a trauma-informed approach to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people), Autism and ADHD, Protective Behaviours, Attachment awareness, Sand Story Skills, Drawing and Talking, Counselling Skills (Level 2 CACHE), Interoception and Emotional Regulation, Mental Health awareness and Emotional wellbeing. I am also a trained Autism and SEND Sensory Needs Practitioner and a qualified Heart 2 Heart Practitioner/Facilitator—an attachmentbased approach that uses play to strengthen connection and promote emotional safety. 

A therapeutic lens shapes every aspect of my work. I believe in meeting each child exactly where they are, offering a calm, attuned, and trusting relationship in which they can explore emotions, repair ruptures, and build resilience. Whether supporting children directly or empowering the adults around them, my focus remains consistent: holding each individual’s story with respect and creating the conditions for healing, growth, and positive relationships.