Therapeutic Life Story Work

TLSW is particularly beneficial for young people who:

• Have experienced trauma, neglect or neglect
• Have had multiple placement moves
• Struggle with identity, belonging or self-worth
• Present with heightened emotional or behavioural responses
• Ask difficult questions or repeated questions about their past

By helping young people understand their experiences, TLSW can: 

• Reduce feelings of anger, shame or blame
• Improve emotional regulation
• Strengthen trust in adults
• Reduce incidents linked to trauma triggers
• Support safer, more reflective care plannin

This often leads to improved relationships between young people and residential staff.

The length of the intervention varies depending on the child or young persons needs. Typically, TLSW includes an assessment phase, 18 direct sessions with the child or young person (more sessions can added if required), and collaborative work with carers and professionals. The process often takes several months.

TLSW is a collaborative approach. It involves:

The child or young person

• Carers (residential staff)
• Social workers 
• Other relevant professional

Carer support is essential to ensure ongoing support outside of sessions.

Information is gathered through:

• Care records
• Chronologies
• Professional reports
• Discussions with social workers and carers (residential staff)
• Where appropriate, family contributions

All information is handled sensitively and in line with safeguarding and data protection requirements. 

Information is handled sensitively and in line with safeguarding and data protection requirements. Information sharing is agreed in advance with the relevant professionals and those with parental responsibility. Helping Hands Care and Consultancy is ICO registered. 

If your home is based in Northamptonshire, you can contact us directly to discuss suitability and referrals.

If you home is located outside of Northamptonshire, please still get in touch and we will see what we can do to support.