Healing-Centred Design® is a evidence-based, transformation framework.
‘Healing-Centred’ guides safe, supported development, that builds motivation and capacity.
‘Design’ creates sustainable solutions, instead of defaulting to urgency.
Healing-Centred Design®
Healing-Centred Design® is a framework that moves groups from reactive, stretched use of resources to intentional, healthy ways of working.
Healing-Centred Design® shapes change journeys across system and service design, co-production projects, and team and organisational development.
Healing-Centred Design® blends trauma-informed systems thinking with creative coaching.
The Healing-Centred Design® Change Journey
Healing-Centred Design moves through 6 thresholds, each providing an opportunity to explore change through a different lens, creating depth, coherence and structured progression.
| Thresholds | Purpose and Outcomes |
| Frame (to dance within) | Co-create a container for our work together, developing A safe and inspiring space to connect and collaborate | Clear parametres for our work together |
| Pain to Power | Connect experiences, needs and indicators of success, Understand individual, group and systemic challenges | Identify collective strengths |
| Mend + Tend | Identify potential improvements and opportunities, Learn what needs to be repaired or changed (mend) | See what needs to be nurtured or supported (tend) |
| Principles, Practices + Processes | Engage in creative, conversation-based groupwork exploring, Regulation and safety | Decision-making and prioritising | Innovation and activation | Processing and reflection | Equity and sustainability |
| Micro-Missions | Design solutions then, Test using an Action Learning Set approach | Learn through Sensemaking and Reflective Practice sessions |
| Tools + Resources | Coproduce tools and resources to Support teams to implement and embed positive change | Guide future transitions |
For People
Our founder Kerry wrote a book, nominated for The Peoples Book Award, about change in the purpose-led sector, and living with chronic pain.
The book, Healing-Centred Transformation: Mend, Tend and Change the Future, shares real people’s experiences of turning pain, into power.
For Orgs.
When organisations work in healthy ways, energy, capacity and sustainability grows. We support leadership and delivery teams with,
The Brilliant Workplace (organisational development) and The Brilliant Club (wellbeing support).
We facilitate awaydays, strategy design sessions, transition coaching, and leadership development support.
For Places
When the places we live, work and play are safe and healthy the future feels brilliant.
We work with councils, NHS teams, local infrastructure organisations and communities to co-design healthy systems, services and community wellbeing.
Healing-Centred Design principles shape our work
| Rhythm + Ritual | Practices that create patterns and certainty |
| Filter | Processes to help sort, prioritise and make choices |
| Collide + Align | Blending ideas from different sources to create something new |
| Transition | Creating spaces in between, pauses for processing and reflection |
| Contribute + Benefit | Balancing giving and receiving for equity and sustainability |
Tools + Resources
Powerful tools and resources help us all design change.
We share ‘Design your Own’ sessions at networks and events, Facilitation School for coaches, educators and practitioners, and a range of coaching tools and resources.
Campaign: Inspiration Season
Refusing harmful ways of working. Choosing to create change.
Our current Healing-Centred Design campaign is Inspiration Season.
From January–March 2026, A Brilliant Thing CIC invites health, education and community leaders from across Greater Manchester to design a Healing-Centred Work World where people feel safe, well and powerful enough to create positive change.
The season culminates in Mend + Tend on 14 March 2026 at Manchester Museum. We are currently looking for speakers, stallholders and workshops.