Life story work allows care-experienced and adopted young people to understand their histories and come to terms with their feelings about the past.
This accessible guide helps therapists and social care professionals to develop their skills to support children and families through their life story journey. It builds on the fundamental 6-step model for practice to incorporate elements from a variety of therapeutic approaches, from DDP to creative therapies. Theoretical explanations, case vignettes, and practical suggestions provide guidance on practice-based issues in life story work, such as working with parent/carer-child dyads, incorporating a birth family perspective, talking about traumatic stories, managing endings and constructing the life story book.
Essential reading for anyone undertaking life story work, this guide enhances a time-tested model with up-to-date research and new ideas for overcoming the most common challenges practitioners face when delivering life story work.
Katie Wrench is dual qualified as a social worker and art psychotherapist. She is Head of Clinical Services at BUSS (Building Underdeveloped Sensory Systems) Ltd., and has been offering training to local authorities across the UK, IFAs and third sector organisations since 2015. She co-authored Life Story Work with Children who are Fostered or Adopted (2013) - a model which has successfully been rolled out across England and Wales. She is also the author of Helping Vulnerable Children to Stay Safe (2016) and Creative Ideas for Assessing Vulnerable Children and Families (2018).
The all-in-one guide to the knowledge, skills and activities you need for life story work with children and adolescents.
Julie Young, Researcher and Associate Tutor , School of Social Work, University of East Anglia
This is a rich, comprehensive, and highly readable resource, drawing on extensive academic and practice literature and illustrated with firsthand experiences and case studies. It is littered with very usable practical and creative ideas that will have wide benefit for practitioners, parents and carers helping children to make sense of complicated life journeys.
Sarah Johal MBE, National Adoption Strategic Lead, Adoption England
This latest book by Katie Wrench is a must read for anyone embarking on life story work with children and teenagers. It provides a very clear framework and approach for practitioners undertaking this work and provides a greater insight into the importance of the stages and journey of this work. With helpful practical tools and ideas this book will support practitioners to help children make sense of what has happened to them, help them understand themselves and develop a coherent narrative for their lives.
