Relationship renaissance: the use of attachment-based narrative and metaphor in life story work

Abstract

This article describes an attachment-based narrative approach to life story work that aims to help children whose psychological well-being is undermined by past experiences of maltreatment and separation. It is a collaborative method working directly with the child, carer and social worker/therapist to construct a coherent and developmentally sensitive narrative that illuminates the child’s troubled and troubling past. The focus is on children’s experiences of placement disruptions and their perception of repeated rejection, pervasive anxiety and mistrust, and how these affect their mental health and capacity to form and sustain relationships. The approach complements life story work by using story and metaphor in a curious and playful way and is particularly effective when the child’s defensiveness and unresolved trauma make conventional interventions of this kind inadequate or even counter-productive. Two case studies are provided to illustrate different applications of the approach.