Dr Peter Jakob

With a background in social work, Peter has worked as Clinical Psychologist and Family Therapist in both child- and adolescent mental health services and in adult mental health for over 40 years, specialising in children and families who face multiple challenges, trauma or other difficulties such as neurodivergence. He has in-depth knowledge of treating trauma as the after-effect of childhood maltreatment, as well as extensive experience in providing therapy for parents’ mental health problems.

As a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Professional Lead in the UK National Health Service, Peter first introduced Nonviolent Resistance therapy and practice (NVR) to the UK. He has adapted the approach in trauma- and attachment-informed ways, and his work with looked-after children has inspired him to develop a child focus in NVR. He has integrated NVR with solution-focused practices and narrative therapy for building the cornerstones of his work: generating hope where there are ‘complex difficulties’, promoting social re-connection, focus on issues of social justice, embodiment and imagination. Peter is a prolific national and international presenter. He is the author of Nonviolent Resistance in Trauma-focused Practice: A Systemic Approach to Therapy and Social Care, Routledge, 2025. He now works as a Partner in Connective Strength UK and as Co-Director of the Center for Nonviolent Therapy and Practice Canada.

Aiming to develop collaborative working relationships in which dialogue can flourish and service users’ experience and perspectives are centred in conversation, Peter considers social awareness as a cornerstone of engaged therapeutic practice. He has a strong interest in narration of ‘self’ as a vehicle for change in people with histories of abuse, enabling them to take back definitional power in their lives.