PHILANTHROPY
FOR FOUNDATIONS AND IMPACT-LED INSTITUTIONS TO EMBED WELLBEING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
PSYCHOLOGY AND WELLBEING FOR FOUNDATIONS AND FUNDERS
A discreet, psychologically grounded partner to a select group of foundations, funders and the leaders who carry their work.
Those who steward significant giving carry an unusual weight: the scale of the need before them, the scrutiny of their impact, and the quiet emotional labour of work that is never quite finished. We work alongside a small number of foundations and funders to look after the people who do this work, to strengthen the judgement of those who lead it, and to make their giving both more effective and more humane. Our work is grounded in clinical and organisational psychology; our regulation by the Care Quality Commission is a quiet assurance of its seriousness, and our discretion is assumed.
HOW WE WORK
We take on a limited number of partnerships, by introduction, so that each receives the depth and discretion this work asks for.
WELLBEING AND CARE FOR YOUR PEOPLE AND GRANTEES
The people who carry a mission, staff, grantees and front-line partners, are often the least looked after. We design wellbeing that matches the scale and complexity of your work, so that they can sustain their impact without being quietly worn down by it. This includes wellbeing frameworks, reflective structures, trauma-informed policies and leadership support, alongside discreet, tailored support for individuals and teams navigating emotionally demanding work, whether that is therapeutic consultation, executive reflection or a facilitated space to think. We treat care not as a benefit, but as an ethical and strategic commitment.
MASTERCLASSES FOR TRUSTEES AND LEADERSHIP
We convene private masterclasses for philanthropic teams, trustees and leadership groups who wish to think more deeply about psychological wellbeing, identity, trauma and systemic care. Each is crafted to the intellectual and emotional depth of the room, drawing on clinical insight and reflective practice, and shaped with you as part of your wider strategy rather than delivered from a shelf.
EVALUATING WHAT WORKS
Serious funders wish to give with confidence. We help you see where need is unmet and which groups are being missed, and we evaluate what works, often with a university partner, so that programmes are designed, measured and improved on evidence rather than assumption. Careful evaluation is how promising work becomes fundable work.
WIDENING ACCESS TO THOSE THE SYSTEM LEAVES WAITING
Among our highest commitments is extending assessment and support to those the system leaves waiting. We partner with foundations and funders to design fundable, evaluable programmes that widen access for under-served communities, closing the gap between identifying need and meeting it, where so much avoidable harm accumulates. It is the work we care about most, and we are glad to do it alongside funders who feel the same.
A BESPOKE PARTNERSHIP
Every engagement is bespoke. We begin by understanding your mission and its particular pressures, then bring psychological insight, reflective leadership and wellbeing strategy into a programme built around you, delivered in person or online, and made to hold well beyond the room.
HOW WE BEGIN
We prefer to begin with a defined piece of work and clear measures agreed at the outset. To begin a conversation, please get in touch.
“Esther from Minds in Session worked with us on a highly sensitive leadership and culture programme within a major UK police force, facilitating reflective and assessment groups that required deep psychological insight and professional containment. She brought exceptional skill in creating trust, navigating complexity, and synthesising group dynamics into meaningful analysis and recommendations. Her work was of an exceptionally high standard; intelligent, rigorous, and delivered with discretion and integrity."
Iain Harrison
Director of People Consulting
Ernst & Young
