'There is no greater agony than bearing an
untold story inside of you' (Maya Angelou)
What is Therapeutic Life Story Work?
Therapeutic Life Story Work aims to help children and young people make sense of their past experiences, putting difficult or traumatic histories into context, and informing the child or young person's sense of self, identity and belonging in the here and now.
Traditional Life Story Work and the production of Life Story Books for children 'looked after' can be traced back to the mid-1980s but Therapeutic Life Story Work goes deeper than simply collating information and photographs into a book. Drawing upon training in Play and Creative Arts Therapies and Therapeutic Life Story Work, this approach focuses on the therapeutic process of expressing and exploring thoughts, feelings and experiences, and making sense of the life story narrative.
Therapeutic Life Story Work involves four stages: (1) Assessment/Consultation, (2) Information Gathering/Research, (3) Direct Work Sessions, (4) Follow Up/Ending. It is crucial as much information as possible about the child or young person's life history is available prior to starting direct work to ensure a coherent and accurate narrative; this stage can take several weeks/months to complete. The creation of a Life Story Book is often seen as the end product of Life Story Work however, in this therapeutic approach, the work created in direct sessions form the record of the narrative and the therapeutic processing. This also means Therapeutic Life Story Work is suitable for children and young people who already have a Life Story Book, but who need a deeper understanding of and opportunity to explore their life history. Direct work involves working with parent/carers and child/young person together over 6-8 sessions to facilitate the shared narrative and enhance attachment relationships.
Traditional Life Story Work and the production of Life Story Books for children 'looked after' can be traced back to the mid-1980s but Therapeutic Life Story Work goes deeper than simply collating information and photographs into a book. Drawing upon training in Play and Creative Arts Therapies and Therapeutic Life Story Work, this approach focuses on the therapeutic process of expressing and exploring thoughts, feelings and experiences, and making sense of the life story narrative.
Therapeutic Life Story Work involves four stages: (1) Assessment/Consultation, (2) Information Gathering/Research, (3) Direct Work Sessions, (4) Follow Up/Ending. It is crucial as much information as possible about the child or young person's life history is available prior to starting direct work to ensure a coherent and accurate narrative; this stage can take several weeks/months to complete. The creation of a Life Story Book is often seen as the end product of Life Story Work however, in this therapeutic approach, the work created in direct sessions form the record of the narrative and the therapeutic processing. This also means Therapeutic Life Story Work is suitable for children and young people who already have a Life Story Book, but who need a deeper understanding of and opportunity to explore their life history. Direct work involves working with parent/carers and child/young person together over 6-8 sessions to facilitate the shared narrative and enhance attachment relationships.
Who is Therapeutic Life Story Work for?
Therapeutic Life Story Work is typically offered to children and young people aged 4-16 years. Therapeutic Life Story Work has typically been available for children and young people who are fostered or adopted, but this approach can also support children or young people make sense of other difficult or traumatic experiences or complex life histories.
Therapeutic Life Story Work is usually delivered alongside the parent/carers to support both child/young person and parent/carers in developing ways of acknowledging and exploring difficult events and experiences in a safe therapeutic environment; increasing understanding of past experiences and their impact upon present behaviours; and strengthening attachment relationships by building trust and security through the shared narrative. It is however, possible to deliver Therapeutic Life Story Work with children and young people individually in some circumstances.
Therapeutic Life Story Work is usually delivered alongside the parent/carers to support both child/young person and parent/carers in developing ways of acknowledging and exploring difficult events and experiences in a safe therapeutic environment; increasing understanding of past experiences and their impact upon present behaviours; and strengthening attachment relationships by building trust and security through the shared narrative. It is however, possible to deliver Therapeutic Life Story Work with children and young people individually in some circumstances.
Do you know a child or young person aged 4-16 who...
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