Supporting Young People. Healing Trauma. Preventing Violence. Building Futures.
At ALIVE Wellness Centre, we support children, young people and families affected by knife crime, youth violence and trauma.
We believe support shouldn't only come after something has happened. That's why our work focuses on early intervention, prevention and recovery, helping young people feel safe, supported and heard before situations reach crisis point.
We provide counselling and trauma-informed support alongside youth work, mentoring, education, physical activity and positive community opportunities. Everything we do is designed to help young people understand their experiences, build confidence and resilience, develop positive relationships and move forward with hope for their future.
At ALIVE, we want every young person to know that they have somewhere safe to turn and someone who will listen.
Refer a young person to ALIVE
If you would like to make a referral for counselling or support, please complete our referral form using the link below.
Once completed, please return the form to:
laura.mace@alivewellnesscentre.org.uk
Mental Health Services
At ALIVE, we provide trauma-informed mental health support for children and young people affected by trauma, knife crime and youth violence, as well as those who may be at risk. Through counselling and emotional support, we provide a safe space where young people can talk openly, process their experiences and begin to build confidence, resilience and hope for the future.
Community Building
We create safe, positive spaces where young people can connect, build friendships and feel part of their community. Through youth clubs, sports, mentoring, community activities and our Youth Advisory Group, we give young people opportunities to have their voices heard, develop confidence and build positive relationships with others.
Holistic Healing
We understand that recovery and wellbeing are different for every young person. Our holistic approach brings together emotional support, physical activity and positive experiences to support the whole person. By helping young people strengthen both their mental and physical wellbeing, we aim to build confidence, resilience and a greater sense of hope for the future.
About ALIVE Wellness Centre
Empowering Lives, Rebuilding Communities
ALIVE Wellness Centre supports children, young people and families affected by trauma, knife crime and youth violence, as well as young people who may be at risk.
Our work brings together early intervention, prevention and recovery, providing trauma-informed counselling, youth work, mentoring, education, physical activity and positive community opportunities.
We believe that supporting a young person means looking at the whole picture — their emotional and mental wellbeing, their relationships, their environment and the opportunities available to them. By providing the right support at the right time, our aim is to help young people feel safe, build resilience and confidence, and create positive futures beyond violence.
Who I am
I am Laura, the very proud Founder and CEO of ALIVE Wellness Centre.
I hold a degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy and specialise in supporting people affected by trauma. ALIVE was born from a very personal experience after my son was mugged at knifepoint. Seeing first-hand the impact this had on him and our whole family made me realise just how much support children, young people and their families need following traumatic experiences.
That experience became the driving force behind ALIVE and strengthened my passion for making sure young people affected by knife crime, youth violence and trauma have somewhere safe to turn for support.
I hold an MSc in Psychology from Birmingham City University, which I completed with Distinction. This further developed my understanding of trauma, behaviour and psychological wellbeing and strengthened my work supporting children, young people and families affected by knife crime and youth violence.
In addition to my counselling and psychology background, I am a qualified Personal Trainer with over 20 years of experience. Throughout my career, I have seen first-hand how physical activity and strength training can help people rebuild their confidence, resilience and sense of self.
This is something I understand personally too. At one of the lowest points in my own life, strength training became an important part of rebuilding my mental wellbeing. It gave me focus, helped change my mindset and gave me the strength to keep moving forward.
This experience is one of the reasons physical activity is an important part of ALIVE. We recognise that recovery and wellbeing can look different for every young person, and sometimes having a positive physical outlet can be just as important as having someone to talk to.
One of my proudest and most meaningful moments was receiving a handmade pencil case from a survivor I had worked with. It had a butterfly embroidered on it and came with the words, “You have given me my wings to fly.”
I’ll never forget that. For me, it represented exactly why I do this work — helping someone who has experienced trauma begin to find themselves again, rebuild their confidence and move forward with their life.
I often use colour and creative expression within my counselling work, so the butterfly and the meaning behind it made the gift even more special. It is something I will always treasure and a reminder of the difference the right support can make at the right time.
I am dedicated to making sure children, young people and families affected by knife crime, youth violence and trauma can access the support they need, when they need it.
Through ALIVE Wellness Centre, we want to be there not only after something has happened, but before it happens too. Our work focuses on early intervention, prevention and providing safe spaces where young people can talk, feel heard and get the right support.
Through counselling, youth work, education, mentoring, physical activity and positive opportunities, our aim is to help young people heal from trauma, build confidence and resilience, and move forward towards a positive future.
Ultimately, I want ALIVE to become a place where young people and families know they can turn for help — and where we can intervene early enough to help prevent another young person becoming a victim of violence.
In the year ending March 2026, police recorded 48,774 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument across England and Wales. While this represented an 8% decrease compared with the previous year, the number of incidents remains significant.
Knife-enabled crime continues to include some of the most serious forms of violence. In the latest figures, 44% of recorded knife-enabled offences were assault with injury or assault with intent to cause serious harm, while 39% were robbery offences.
Behind every statistic is a young person, family or community that can be affected by violence and trauma. At ALIVE, our focus is not only on supporting people after violence occurs, but on early intervention, prevention and giving young people the support and opportunities they need to build safer futures.
At ALIVE Wellness Centre, we support children and young people affected by trauma, knife crime and youth violence, as well as those who may be at risk. We believe that getting the right support early can make a real difference.
Whether a young person is struggling following a traumatic experience, facing challenges in their community or simply needs a safe person to talk to, we are here to listen, support and help them move forward.
Our focus is on early intervention, prevention and recovery — helping young people feel safer, build confidence and resilience, and recognise that their experiences do not have to determine their future.
Join Forces to Help
Together, we can create safer futures for young people.
At ALIVE Wellness Centre, we believe lasting change happens when young people, families, schools, professionals and communities work together.
Whether a young person needs someone to talk to, support following trauma, a safe place to belong or positive opportunities to help them move forward, ALIVE is here.
By working together, intervening early and listening to young people, we can help prevent violence, support recovery and give more young people the opportunity to feel safe, valued and hopeful about their future.
Trauma Recovery & Support
At ALIVE, we provide trauma-informed support to help children and young people understand and recover from difficult and traumatic experiences. We create a safe, supportive space where young people can talk openly, process their emotions and develop healthy ways of coping.
Through counselling, emotional support and positive activities, we help young people build confidence, resilience and a greater understanding of themselves and their experiences. Our aim is not to define young people by what has happened to them, but to help them recognise their strengths, regain a sense of control and move forward with hope for the future.
Get in touch
Telephone: 08002465298
E-mail: laura.mace@alivewellnesscentre.org.uk
Address: B26/B27 Birmingham UK