Who is it for?
Life story work is a therapeutic process designed to help children and adults gain a deeper understanding of their personal history, sense of identity, and the circumstances surrounding their current living arrangements or significant life changes. The approach to life story work varies based on the individual's age and the relationship between the person and the practitioner. While our primary focus is supporting children in making sense of their life journey, we also work with adults, helping them reflect on their experiences and navigate transformative events in their lives.
Life story work can be presented in many creative ways, ranging from a linear narrative on a long roll of paper to a beautifully crafted book. We recommend compiling the work into a book format, as it allows the individual to easily and quickly revisit their story.
A variety of materials can be incorporated, including drawings, fabrics, photographs, or even a digital version of the book as a completed piece of work. Typically, the process involves approximately ten sessions over ten weeks, with each session lasting about an hour.
We recognise that life story work can evoke difficult feelings of sadness, anger, loss. So it is important that the time is flexible and depends on the individual’s readiness. If needed, grounding exercises may be used to help bring the person to a safe and comfortable space at the start of the session or at the end.
Preparation
We carefully prepare for our sessions by gathering as much information as possible from social workers and family members. This ensures we are ready to handle sessions that may be more emotionally challenging. For instance, this could include situations such as a recent family loss, a significant incident, court proceedings, or when a child is unable to return home.
We also encourage family members to share photos of the individual and their family from different stages of life. These visual aids can be incredibly meaningful and helpful during the sessions when available.
Understanding the individual’s likes, dislikes, abilities, and any additional support needs is a crucial part of our preparation. For example, we need to know if they are taking medication that affects their alertness, if they experience difficulties with fine or gross motor skills, or if they have learning or memory challenges. This information allows us to make necessary adaptations, address any risks or concerns, and ensure the sessions are safe, inclusive, and effective.
How does each session run?
We break our sessions into ten sessions
Session 1:- Meeting the child or adult, explaining life story book , exploring photos and decorating the book and first page.
Session 2:- Identity:- explores who the person is now, when they were and where they born.
Session 3:- Family or significant people in their lives.
Session 4:-Where they lived, who they lived with and memories of those times.
Session 5:- Schools they went to, teachers, friends.
Session 6:- Significant events and worries.
Session 7:-Who made decisions for them and how they felt at the time.
Session 8:- Where they live now and what life feels like now.
Session 9:- Who they are and what they love doing and what they are good at.
Session 10: - looking through the finished book together and good bye session.