Therapeutic life story work is a structured, reflective process that helps your child or young person explore, understand, and make sense of their life experiences. It is especially valuable for adopted children, children in care, or those who have experienced early trauma or loss.

Benefits of therapeutic life story work include:

Building a coherent sense of identity and understanding of their own story.
Processing complex emotions and experiences in a safe and supported way.
Strengthening attachment and relationships by improving communication and understanding between your child and their caregivers.
Promoting emotional resilience and confidence by providing clarity and narrative structure around life experiences.

Therapeutic life story work requires the input of as many important people in your child’s world as possible. This collective contribution helps to create a more coherent narrative and understanding of your child’s experiences and the world they live in. Before beginning, I will always assess whether life story work is appropriate at this point in time for your child or young person. The work can be carried out as a whole piece or approached in stages, with breaks when needed, so that the process always feels safe, manageable, and responsive to your child’s readiness.

I use Katie Wrench’s three-stage model for therapeutic life story work, which provides a safe and supportive framework:

Preparation – gathering information and working with parents/carers and professionals to ensure the story is accurate, coherent, and safe to share. This stage also helps prepare your child emotionally for the work ahead.
Exploration – creatively working with your child to explore their story, piece together their past, and process the experiences and emotions connected to it.
Integration – supporting your child to make sense of their story, connect it to their present, and develop a stronger, more coherent sense of identity for their future.

This model helps your child gradually explore their past, make sense of their experiences, and begin to integrate these insights into their present and future sense of self.

Using a creative approach makes life story work particularly impactful. Art, collage, and other creative methods allow your child to express experiences and emotions that may be difficult to put into words, providing a safe, tangible way to explore their story. Creativity also makes the process engaging, personal, and empowering, allowing your child to shape their narrative actively rather than passively recounting events.

If you’d like to know more about whether Therapeutic Life Story Work is right for your child or young person, please get in touch.

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