Therapeutic Life Story Work for Children – The Rose Model

Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW) is a supportive and creative approach that helps children and young people understand their past, make sense of their experiences and develop a clearer understanding of who they are.

At Re-Frame Play Therapy, Therapeutic Life Story Work is offered using the Rose Model, with the child, their parent or carer and therapist working together throughout the process.

What is Therapeutic Life Story Work?

Children who have experienced changes, separation, loss or difficult early experiences can sometimes be left with gaps or confusion in their personal story.

Therapeutic Life Story Work provides a safe and supported way to explore these experiences. Rather than simply creating a record of a child's history, the work helps them explore their story, understand their experiences and develop a more coherent sense of identity.

The work is paced carefully around the individual child, using creative and therapeutic activities to make difficult information easier to explore and understand.

The Rose Model

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The Rose Model places the relationship between the child, parent or carer, and Therapeutic Life Story Worker at the heart of the work.

Working together allows the child to explore their story while being supported by the adults around them. It also helps parents and carers develop a deeper understanding of the child's experiences, feelings and behaviours.

The work takes place gradually, with safety, trust and emotional regulation prioritised throughout.

The Three Stages

All About Me

All About Me focuses on the child's life in the present.

Through creative and therapeutic activities, we explore who they are now — their interests, relationships, strengths, feelings, routines and the things that are important to them.

This stage helps build safety and trust before moving towards more complex parts of the child's story.

More About Me

More About Me begins to gently explore the child's wider experiences and relationships.

The child is supported to develop their understanding of themselves, the important people in their life and some of the experiences that have shaped them.

The pace is guided by the child's individual needs and readiness, ensuring that the work remains safe and manageable.

Therapeutic Life Story Work

Therapeutic Life Story Work allows for deeper exploration of the child's life story and significant experiences.

Information about the child's past is explored carefully alongside their thoughts, feelings and understanding of what happened.

Through therapeutic and creative work, the child is supported to make connections between their past and present, understand that the difficult things that happened were not their responsibility, and develop a more integrated understanding of their identity and story.

How long does Therapeutic Life Story Work take?

Therapeutic Life Story Work is not a quick process. The length of the work varies depending on the child's individual needs, experiences and circumstances.

A full piece of Therapeutic Life Story Work may take around six months or longer, allowing enough time to build relationships, establish safety and explore the child's story at an appropriate pace.

Before beginning, we will discuss the proposed work, the child's individual needs and what the process may look like for your family.

Who might benefit?

Who can Therapeutic Life Story Work help?

Therapeutic Life Story Work may be particularly helpful for children and young people who have experienced significant changes, separation, loss, disrupted relationships or difficult early experiences.

It can be especially valuable for children who have questions or uncertainty about their past and need support to understand how their experiences fit into their wider life story.

Enquiring About Therapeutic Life Story Work

If you're considering Therapeutic Life Story Work for a child or young person, you're welcome to get in touch to discuss their circumstances and whether this approach may be appropriate.

We can talk through what support you're looking for, where the child is currently in their journey and what the next steps might look like.