A Space

A Space believes in the value of making ideas from psychotherapy relevant to everyday life. It began in 1996, when Alex Sainsbury approached the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London, to explore creating a model for a school-based multi-stranded provision funded by The Glass-House Trust.

This generated a proposal for a therapeutic service co- designed with children and young people. After a year- long feasibility study, Hackney was chosen as the host borough and A Space found its first home at Kingsland Secondary School.

The services provided were designed to be a form of practice-based research, trialling different ways to meet the needs of children and adolescents – whilst introducing staff to applied ideas from psychoanalysis. To this objective, A Space publishes books with Routledge and co-produces emotional learning resources with the Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva).

From 2010 to 2014, A Space undertook a four-year study funded by The Glass-House Trust into identifying best practices for school-based therapy – conducted in partnership with the Centre for Psycho-social and Psychoanalytic Studies at the University of Essex. Since then, A Space has continued to work in close partnership with teachers and universities to build first- hand knowledge of what works best in school-based therapy as well as promoting a culture of emotional literacy.

Today, the A Space team focuses on the following: providing psychological services for students in targeted schools in east London; a counselling, supervision and consultation service for school staff; initiatives with Iniva; and sharing its learning through publishing, teaching, and supporting the wider community.

In keeping with the original objectives, it supports people to evolve their understanding of relationships and improve their resilience to deal with the complexities of contemporary life. Throughout its work, A Space encourages curiosity and reflection, and the question – ‘How do we live well with others?’ – remains central.