Franchesca delivered an engaging and highly informative trauma‑informed presentation to our team of solicitors.
Her explanation of the fawning response to trauma—as distinct from the more commonly recognised fight or flight responses—was particularly valuable. She clearly explained what fawning can look like in clients and why it matters in professional settings.
As a result, our team is better able to identify trauma responses, obtain instructions more sensitively, and take clearer evidence about a client’s experience. The presentation has had a practical and lasting impact on our work, and we highly recommend Franchesca to organisations working with trauma‑affected clients.
We were so grateful to have Franchesca speak with our team about how to take a trauma informed approach to our work, and the impact of vicarious trauma.
Franchesca helped us to look at how this might show up for us in our unique workplace. She made it easy to see how it applies to our team, and initiated a really important discussion around how we can look after ourselves.
Her deep understanding of the community sector meant she was absolutely the right person to facilitate this conversation, and she did so with compassion and care.
Our team, which includes administration, health promotion staff, nurses, radiographers and doctors, all work closely with women and frequently have sensitive, person‑centred interactions. Franchesca’s presentation on best‑practice trauma‑informed care and responding to disclosures of violence was therefore highly relevant and valuable. She provided practical, meaningful strategies that staff could confidently apply in their roles, and thoughtfully tailored her content to the BreastScreen ACT context.
Franchesca’s warm, respectful, and down‑to‑earth approach created a safe learning environment and encouraged open discussion across disciplines. Feedback from the team was overwhelmingly positive, and staff valued the practical guidance and clarity she brought to a complex and important topic.
From our very first exploratory conversations, it was evident that Franchesca is deeply passionate about raising awareness of the growing need for compassionate approaches within community work, and we were fortunate beneficiaries of that passion.
What stood out most was her extensive knowledge of practical, frontline approaches for community services. Her insights extended even to simple — yet often overlooked — documentation practices that can reduce unintended blame and uphold the dignity of those we support. The session was thoughtful, engaging, and highly relevant to the work many of our teams undertake every day.
The work Franchesca does in support of vulnerable members of the community is truly inspiring. She is a genuine pillar of the community, and the Society is sincerely grateful for the time, knowledge, and care she generously contributed in support of our Good Works.
We recently attended an information and training session with Franchesca from Evergreen Therapeutic Services, and it was such a valuable and insightful experience.
The session was engaging, easy to connect with, and covered really important areas, including domestic violence awareness, behaviours, mental health, relationship challenges, and available support services. It gave us a deeper understanding as well as practical awareness we can take into our day-to-day work.
Franchesca’s approach was genuinely warm, empathetic and down-to-earth. She created a safe and respectful space where everyone felt comfortable to reflect, ask questions and be part of meaningful conversations.
We’d highly recommend Franchesca and Evergreen Therapeutic Services to any organisation looking to better support their clients and teams through a more trauma-informed approach.
Our team attended a valuable presentation by Ms Franchesca Isla on fawning behaviour in a family and domestic violence context. Understanding how trauma responses can present in mediation is essential to ensuring our clients receive the safe, informed, and genuinely self-determined process they deserve.
Ms Isla's depth of knowledge and ability to translate complex trauma concepts into meaningful practice is something any organisation working in this space would greatly benefit from. We thank Ms Isla for sharing her expertise and remain committed to embedding trauma-informed practice at every level of our work.
Franchesca delivered a deeply valuable presentation to the Bond Hair Religion team on trauma-informed care. Her presentation was clear, compassionate and practical. She helped our team better understand why someone may stay in a relationship marked by violence, why judgment has no place in these conversations, and how important a first response can be when someone chooses to disclose.
For Bond Hair Religion, this training was incredibly meaningful. As a salon, we know that clients often share personal and vulnerable parts of their lives with us. Franchesca’s presentation strengthened our team’s understanding of how to respond with care, safety and sensitivity, and it further supports our ongoing commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for every client.
We are very grateful for the time, expertise and heart Franchesca brought to our team. I would highly recommend her presentation to any business or service that wants to better support both clients and team.
Franchesca’s presentation about the innate ability of a victim survivor to manage and mitigate risk of family violence was powerful. Our legal system is now starting to recognise that many victim survivors cannot simply leave the relationship, and the time around doing so is often of heightened risk. Franchesca’s presentation extended our thinking about how to view behaviours of a victim survivor and present their protective behaviours to the Court, shifting the lens through which behaviours that may otherwise have been viewed as indicative of there being no risk, to showing that they are actually behaviours managing the risk.
Franchesca presented in a warm and practical manner, and our conversations during and after her presentation were challenging and insightful. She interwove a number of related concepts, including understanding how shame, confidence, and fight/flight/freeze/fawn responses influence a client’s decisions and actions, and how we can work together with our client’s support systems to provide a more holistic service, and hopefully reducing any re-traumatising affect of going through the legal process.
Franchesca delivered a highly informative presentation to our team of solicitors on trauma-informed practice and working effectively with clients affected by domestic and family violence.
The presentation focused on the often-overlooked protective strategies and adaptive responses used by victims of domestic violence to minimise harm and maintain safety for themselves and their children. In particular, her education around the trauma response of “fawning” was exceptionally valuable. Franchesca clearly explained how this response is frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted by professionals, and how recognising it can significantly improve communication and client engagement.
As a result of the training, our team is better equipped to gather evidence in a more informed and compassionate way. The presentation has had a meaningful impact on our practice, and we would highly recommend Franchesca to organisations working with trauma-affected clients.
Franchesca Isla delivered a highly engaging, thoughtful, and practical training session for our Children’s Contact Service team on trauma-informed practice. Her presentation was deeply relevant to the work we do with children and families, particularly in supporting child-focused, sensitive, and safe responses when children may present with reluctance, distress, or uncertainty during supervised family time.
Franchesca’s ability to combine professional insight with practical examples made the session both accessible and meaningful for our facilitators. The use of visual aids, including mini figures with varied facial expressions, helped bring complex concepts to life in a way that was interactive, reflective, and directly applicable to practice. Her delivery was warm, engaging, and grounded in real-world service delivery, which allowed the team to connect the training content with the realities of working in a community-based Children’s Contact Service.
We are grateful for Franchesca’s contribution and the care she brought to the session. Her training supported our ongoing commitment to trauma-informed, child-centred, and reflective practice in our work with children and families.