Life Story Journeys offers their services to people from a range of backgrounds and with those with additional needs and/or disabilities. Sarah has particular experience of working with children who are neuro divergent due to such diagnoses as autism or FASD, and those from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“How do we expect children to move on when they don’t know where they came from”
Vera Fahlberg.
Life Story Support.
Supporting children and young people with their life stories is a journey throughout their childhood. This is why Sarah doesn’t just offer ‘one model fits all’, but a more eclectic approach. For some parents online or a face-to-face consultation without involving their child might be what they feel is right. It is usually where we begin.
A consultation might be about ‘how to start life story conversations’ or perhaps how to explain one particular tricky part of their story. For others, it might be a helping hand to put together a life story book that works for their child. Or, even just talking through the parent’s own worries and feelings about their child’s story, and where to start.
Quite often for children whose life stories don’t impact on their daily life, the parent/s are best placed to be the story teller, not a life story worker. A life story book can help you do that. Life Story Journeys can walk beside you in that process and design a book with you that will ‘grow’ with your child. For the stories that do impact or are perhaps trickier to tell having Sarah at your side for a few sessions might be of benefit.
I would encourage you to read the insights “Living in the Shadow of Shame” and “The Life Story Jigsaw”
Therapeutic Life Story Work.
For some children, young people and adults, their life story might impact on their day-to-day life. They might not only need their story told but help to connect the past with the present. Life story ‘work’ rather than ‘conversations’ might be right for them. Sarah can help parents and professionals to assess if the intervention that is right and point you in the direction of other therapeutic supports if not.
Life story work is a journey that can last some months. Sarah is trained in the ‘Richard Rose Therapeutic Life Story Model’ for those requiring that more in depth approach. Sarah often incorporates play, theraplay activities, art and even music into the sessions. Dan Hughes’ model of ‘PACE’ and elements of his Dyadic Development Practice, DDP, inform Sarah’s interaction with the child.
With children it is nearly always undertaken alongside their adoptive parent in the family home or another safe space, with information being gathered from a range of sources. It culminates in the completion of a life story book which describes the journey. I have however completed such work with young people in a school with a trusted adult. Young adults might want to do it by themselves with Sarah, or alongside a trusted person.
Life story work not only helps an individual make sense of their past, but invariably brings them closer to the important people in their lives. It can also support their understanding of challenges they face, whether it be behavioural, emotional or social.
I would encourage you to read the insights “Living in the Shadow of Shame” and “The Life Story Jigsaw”
Adoption and Family Assessments and Support
Life Story Journeys can provide holistic assessments as a stand-alone service or prior to any therapeutic work being undertaken. With Sarah’s knowledge of attachment, trauma and 30 years of working within childcare services in Scotland she is well placed to assess and plan the right support.
Sarah has a lot of experience in assessing the developmental needs of children and their possible causes. Parents can be supported in thinking through how these needs can be met, possibly by themselves, Sarah, health professionals or other therapists.
Family support might well include consultations on contact with birth families, attachment led parenting and therapeutic family sessions. It could be a safe, confidential space for parents to explore their own feelings about their adoption journey. Sarah can also directly support birth family meet ups.
Family sessions incorporating ‘attached based’ activities, sometimes touching on life stories, are offered. Safe spaces for parents and older children together or separately can be provided to explore the day to day challenges. Sarah is very relationship and attachment based in her practice incorporates elements of DDP and theraplay activities, alongside using art, music and even drama, into her sessions.
Sarah also has expertise in advocating for and supporting adoptive families within the Scottish education system, including accompanying parents to meetings and providing assessment reports as required.
I would encourage you to read the insights “Living in the Shadow of Shame” and “Demystifying Therapeutic Parenting”
Training and Reflective Supervision, Independent Social Worker Services.
Life Story Journeys can provide reflective supervision to professionals, usually provided online.
Training can be provided for carers, adoptive parents, and professionals. This could be individually tailored around the needs of the group. It could be anything from an hour to 2-3 days. Life story, The Effect of Developmental Trauma on the Developing Child and Therapeutic Parenting are all packages that are available.
Sarah has over 20 years’ experience of writing children and family assessment reports for Children’s Hearings, Fostering and Adoption Panels and Court. Alongside assessments, Sarah offers therapeutic interventions and support for families in the community.
Referrals
Referrals are accepted from local authorities, charities and organisations across the UK as well as private individuals. Life Story Journeys is a registered provider with the Adoption Support Fund (England).
Costs
Life Story Journeys charges £45 per hour for therapeutic work, support work, assessments and supervision.
Training costs are £350 a day (travel included). £50 per hour.
Travel. First 25 miles per visit included from G62 postcode. 0.45p a mile thereafter.
Therapeutic Life Story and Life Story Work funding packages are available on request.
“My life story journey took a long time and it was hard at times learning about my past. We did lots and lots of different exercises to help me think it all through. Sarah was amazing; we visited streets I had lived in, met my old foster parents and bit by bit it made sense. We drew a giant family tree together with pictures..I no longer dream of the past and what could have been, I see how great my Mum and Dad are!”
Martin, 16 year old
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