Life Story Work with Children Who are Fostered or Adopted: Creative Ideas and Activities

Written for social workers, residential care officers, foster carers, adoptive parents, students, and practitioners, this guide outlines the use of life story work with adopted or fostered children who are traumatized. It guides readers through the life story process (without discussing its theoretical basis) and explains issues to consider in relation to the child, care construct, and as the worker, including the impact of trauma and disrupted attachments on child development. It then identifies activities for building a sense of safety, emotional literacy, resilience and self-esteem, identity, sharing information about the past, and looking positively toward the future and sharing hopes and dreams. Wrench, a therapeutic social worker, art therapist, and foster carer in the UK, and Naylor, a therapeutic social worker and play therapist, both work with children who are fostered or adopted. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)