Life Story Work

1. Life Story Work Richard Rose: Clinical Practice Director Mary Walsh Institute SACCS richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

2. Introduction to SACCS • UK organization providing specialised therapeutic treatment based in residential settings for children severely traumatized by abuse and neglect. • Outcomes approach based on the child’s recovery at the centre of our work.

3. Internal Working Model History Internal Working Model Development Environment richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

4. Internal Working Model • “I am good/bad, lovable/unlovable, competent/helpless.” • “Caregivers are responsive/unresponsive, trustworthy/untrustworthy, caring /hurtful.” • “The world is safe/unsafe; life is worth living/not worth living.” richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

5. SACCS Integrated Treatment Model Integrated approach to Recovery Therapy Child Therapeutic Parenting Life Story

6. Life Story • Information Bank 2. Internalisation 3. The Book richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

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8. 2. Internalisation – How to Start on the road to Life Story Feelings and Trust Games – how to help a child to consider feelings and explore the concept of emotions • JENGA • UNO • Charades • Feelings Themes richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

9. Working on Wallpaper Creating a pictorial history of the child’s journey, from the oldest surviving family member to the current day. A ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ of the child’s interpretation of their life journey. richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

10. Family Tree Drawing a framework of a family tree and sharing stories of those to be placed upon it can help discuss traumatic subjects around loss, separation and grief. richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

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12. “The very fact that adults hesitate to share information about the past with a child implies to him that his past is so bad that he won’t be able to cope with it. Whatever the past was the child lived through it and survived, and so can live with the truth. The truth can be presented in a harmful way that lowers the child’s self esteem or in a way that helps the child to understand and accept his past and thus raises his self esteem.” Vera Fahlberg, “ Helping Children when they must move”, 1981, pg. 51, richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

13. Case Examples Interpretation – “We had 6 white horses” Magical Thinking – “She would try and poison us” Realisation – “It didn’t give him the right to do what he did to me!” Release - “It was Alan!” Understanding – “So, it wasn’t that I was bad” richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

14. “A major aspect of direct work is listening for the child’s perceptions. Until we do this, we won’t know if we are to expand their information or correct their misperceptions” Vera Fahlberg, “A Child’s Journey Through Placement” richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

15. “It is the process rather than the product which will reveal the most benefits for the children and young people involved” Tony Ryan and Roger Walker, “Life Story Work”, 1993, BAAF. richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09

16. 3. The Life Story Book The information has been collated, the interviews have been carried out, and the facts have been checked out. We have the rough materials ; the documents, the wallpaper, the stories of those involved and, above all the child’s perceptions. The book is the representation of all this, written by the worker and edited by the child. richardrose@mwisaccs.com rrose 09