We celebrated our milestone 10th anniversary this October with an unforgettable gathering—our biggest yet—bringing together the graduates, supporters, and donors who have been integral to Foundation for Change (FfC) over the past decade.

 

Looking back to where we started in 2014, our journey began humbly. Founders Bob Bharij and Liz Naylor launched FfC with no budget, sharing a single laptop and armed only with a pioneering approach developed over a decade of working with trauma manifesting as addiction. Their radical perspective—that substance use is a rational response to trauma—challenged norms. Over the past ten years, that approach has evolved, empowering hundreds to transform their lives, and has become a cornerstone of our philosophy and impact.

 

Today, we’re a team of six operating out of our inspiring Shoreditch space, honoured to continue to work alongside courageous individuals committed to making profound personal change. We’ve had the honour of supporting over 500 people, each one challenging and reshaping their lives in ways we’re endlessly inspired by. 

 

Our methodology—now known as the Foundation for Change Approach—draws from psychology, philosophy, and feminist theory, weaving together critical insights that participants can apply directly to their lives. But our work is also defined by how we deliver it: through a culture grounded in safety, respect, and compassion. This ethos permeates every aspect of what we do—from the way we teach on our courses, how we work together as a team, to our relationships with partners and funders, and even to how our office looks and feels. And in an exciting step toward expanding our impact, we have now documented our approach, laying the foundation to extend our work to other sectors supporting people through challenging transitions, including those leaving the prison, mental health, or homelessness systems.

 

The celebration in October was highlighted by a powerful presentation from Jayne, who explained how the FfC Approach transforms lives. She offered insights into our ethos and how it supports individuals from their first contact with FfC to their graduation and beyond. Connecting theory with practice, Jayne highlighted the unique synthesis of critical thinking, attachment theory, feminist theory, existential philosophy, and more that we use to deepen understanding, empower self-awareness, and foster wholeness.

 

Following Jayne, three graduates shared their moving stories, each illustrating FfC’s profound impact. One spoke of the profound impact of being able to say “I feel OK,” after beginning with our Making Sense Of… podcast groups and then joining the then online Psychology for Change course during lockdown. Another, a graduate of both Feminism and Psychology for Change, expressed how she learned not to “take nonsense from nonsense people,” while a third graduate talked about what is was like to re-enter a learning environment for the first time since leaving school at 11. 

 

Also completing both courses, she talked about the feeling of her entire world opening up after having been so closed for so long and how graduating from the courses gave her the confidence to start studying for her English GCSE at the age of 58. She concluded, “We all need a bit of Foundation for Change in our lives,” capturing the broader relevance of our work to everyone, beyond just those in recovery.

 

After the inspiring talks, Heather and Bex awarded Open College Network certificates to individuals who had completed the coursework on our Psychology for Change course, marking a significant achievement for many as their first official qualification. Our new Chair, Matt Clack, expressed his gratitude to the team and board, underscoring the dedication that fuels our progress.

 

Finally, our founder and CEO, Bob Bharij, closed the celebration with a heartfelt look at FfC’s journey and vision for the future. “We’re in an incredibly exciting place,” he shared, noting the impact data from the past four years that evidences the profound outcomes of our approach. He outlined our goals to expand FfC, beginning with our internal growth and followed by plans to train others in our methodology to bring our courses to more people. “No one else works in the way we do, how we do it, and with the people we work with,” he said. “Our work isn’t just important, it’s essential. Change is needed now more than ever.”

As the systems designed to support people increasingly fall short, we know our that approach is as a vital alternative. We invite you to support our mission—whether through a one-off or regular donation—and help us spark the conversations that can drive change. Follow us on social media, share our story, sign up to our newsletter from our homepage, and join us in our making our vision - of a society where people with histories of trauma can live with dignity and fulfil their potential - a reality.