What if the most powerful thing we could do about youth violence isn't to respond to it but to stop it from happening in the first place? In this episode of London in Mind, host Dr. Estelle Moore sits down with Dr. Suchitra Bhandari, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Director of North Central London Vanguard Services for Violence Reduction, for a conversation that challenges everything we think we know about how communities keep young people safe.

Dr. Bhandari works across five North London boroughs, bringing together healthcare, education, law enforcement, and community organisations in a genuinely collaborative effort to address the root causes of violence rather than simply respond to its consequences. At the heart of this work is a shift in thinking that is as simple as it is radical: treating violence not as a criminal justice problem but as a public health one. Something that can be understood, prevented, and ultimately reduced when we attend to the psychological, social and environmental conditions that give rise to it.

This is a conversation full of warmth, honesty and real-world wisdom. Dr. Bhandari talks about what trauma-informed practice actually looks like on the ground, what it takes to build genuine trust across agencies with very different cultures and priorities, and why working alongside young people themselves, rather than doing things to them, changes everything. She also shares what culturally responsive support means in practice, and how crisis moments can become turning points rather than endings.

About Dr. Suchitra Bhandari

Dr. Suchitra Bhandari (Suchi) is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Director of North Central London Vanguard Services for Violence Reduction at North London Foundation Trust. With fifteen years of leadership in psychological therapies, most recently as Director of Psychological Therapies for Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, her clinical expertise spans community psychology and complex adult mental health, always with a focus on dismantling the barriers that health, racial and social inequalities create.

In 2015, Suchi founded Project Future, a holistic, psychologically-informed mental health and wellbeing service for young people affected by serious youth violence, social marginalisation and gang affiliation. In 2021, her leadership secured an NHS England bid to expand that model across all five North Central London boroughs. The work has since won six nationally prestigious HSJ awards. Recognition not just of professional excellence, but of what becomes possible when young people, communities and partner organisations are genuinely valued as collaborators. She was also awarded the London NHS Leadership Recognition Award in 2017 for Leading Systems Transformation.

Get in touch: For enquiries, please contact Suchitra's PA at amanda.ardeman3@nhs.net

About the Psychological Professions Network

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher education and local communities, to champion workforce development and innovation to maximise the impact of psychologically informed approaches on public health and healthcare delivery. PPN London is focused on strategic initiatives and leadership to enhance mental and physical health outcomes and workforce resilience throughout the capital.

About the Host

Dr Estelle Moore is a clinical and forensic psychologist with over 30 years’ experience in NHS forensic services. She currently serves as Director for Psychological Professions (Chief Psychological Professions Officer) at West London NHS Trust, Head of Psychological Services at Broadmoor Hospital, and Chair of PPN London. Her clinical and research interests include trauma-informed care, treatment of complex post-traumatic stress, restorative justice in forensic settings, and building workforce resilience across health and social care.

Find out more: https://ppn.nhs.uk/

Produced by Winter Audio

Host Dr. Estelle Moore is joined by Dr. Idit Albert, clinical lead of the NHS London Major Trauma Psychology Network, to discuss the transformative impact and challenges of embedding psychological care within London’s trauma response systems.

Together, they explore how integrating psychosocial principles into emergency planning, supporting survivors and staff, and developing evidence-based systems can drive lasting recovery and resilience for London communities.

Download and listen about how psychological approaches are making London more resilient, and discover opportunities to join the conversation.

Episode Themes:

• The psychological impact of trauma extends well beyond the initial crisis, requiring long-term care and recovery pathways.
• London now has psychology teams embedded in major trauma centres to provide proactive support from hospital admission through post-discharge.
• Collecting patient feedback and training healthcare staff helps shape ongoing improvements to trauma psychological pathways.
• The network fosters a community of wellbeing leads across police, ambulance, and healthcare services to standardise support for responders.
• Survivors and bereaved families play a vital role in shaping the design and delivery of psychological care to better meet their actual needs.
• Embedding psychological care into emergency planning is a relatively new but increasingly prioritised field within health systems.
• Strategic coordination allows faster scaling up of psychological support during major incidents, benefiting both individuals and wider communities.

Here is the link for the Psychology Response Framework to Major Incidents in London:

NHS England — London » Publications – London Major Trauma Psychology Network

About Dr. Idit Albert:

Dr Idit Albert is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for the Pan-London Major Trauma Psychology Network, a joint role across the NHS London Violence Reduction Programme, NHS England and West London NHS Trust. She leads the integrated psychological care model across London's four Major Trauma Centres, established in 2023.

Previously, she held the post of Consultant Clinical Psychologist and PTSD Lead at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. and was an Academic Director in Clinical Psychology at King's College London. Her wider experience includes leading psychological responses to major incidents and international trauma work.

About the Psychological Professions Network

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher education and local communities, to champion workforce development and innovation to maximise the impact of psychologically informed approaches on public health and healthcare delivery. PPN London is focused on strategic initiatives and leadership to enhance mental and physical health outcomes and workforce resilience throughout the capital.

About the Host

Dr Estelle Moore is a clinical and forensic psychologist with over 30 years’ experience in NHS forensic services. She currently serves as Director for Psychological Professions (Chief Psychological Professions Officer) at West London NHS Trust, Head of Psychological Services at Broadmoor Hospital, and Chair of PPN London. Her clinical and research interests include trauma-informed care, treatment of complex post-traumatic stress, restorative justice in forensic settings, and building workforce resilience across health and social care.

Find out more: https://ppn.nhs.uk/

Produced by Winter Audio

In this episode, host Dr. Estelle Moore welcomes Professor Neil Greenberg, a leading psychiatrist and trauma specialist, to explore how healthcare systems can better support staff after critical incidents.

Drawing from his extensive military and NHS experience, Neil discusses why traditional psychological debriefing may inadvertently cause harm, and how trauma risk management (TRiM) offers a much safer, more effective, peer-led approach in healthcare settings.

Tune in to learn more about this approach and how it can benefit staff across all healthcare settings.

Episode Themes:

• Introduction: How to improve dealing with trauma in healthcare settings
• Professor Neil Greenberg shares his journey with the Royal Marines and the development of peer-led trauma support packages
• Evidence shows that traditional debriefing models not only failed to help but could cause additional harm to staff after traumatic events
• How TRiM empowers teams within organisations to advocate for peer support over outsider intervention
• Professor Neil Greenberg explains how TRiM was translated for use beyond the military for the NHS
• Most trauma reactions improve over time with social support and reduced pressure
• The call for better staff wellbeing and priority access to mental health support for healthcare workers.

March on Stress TRiM Training and Resources The home of TRiM in the UK, and the organisation Professor Greenberg co-directs. All services are developed under the watchful eye of leading international PTSD and occupational health expertise, and all work is backed by the latest research.

About Professor Neil Greenberg:

Professor Neil Greenberg is Professor of Defence Mental Health at King's College London and one of the UK's foremost experts in psychological trauma and occupational mental health. He served in the United Kingdom Armed Forces for more than 23 years, deploying as a psychiatrist and researcher to hostile environments, including Afghanistan and Iraq, and it was during this time that he became one of the driving forces behind the development of TRiM. He also runs March on Stress, the leading consultancy for evidence-based trauma support in the UK, and has published more than 400 scientific papers, advised the NHS, and shaped international guidance on mental health in the workplace.

About the Psychological Professions Network

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher education and local communities, to champion workforce development and innovation to maximise the impact of psychologically informed approaches on public health and healthcare delivery. PPN London is focused on strategic initiatives and leadership to enhance mental and physical health outcomes and workforce resilience throughout the capital.

About the Host

Dr Estelle Moore is a clinical and forensic psychologist with over 30 years’ experience in NHS forensic services. She currently serves as Director for Psychological Professions (Chief Psychological Professions Officer) at West London NHS Trust, Head of Psychological Services at Broadmoor Hospital, and Chair of PPN London. Her clinical and research interests include trauma-informed care, treatment of complex post-traumatic stress, restorative justice in forensic settings, and building workforce resilience across health and social care.

Find out more: https://ppn.nhs.uk/

Produced by Winter Audio