Routledge Therapeutic Stories for Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families: Addressing the Domino Effect of Issues Facing 10–14-Year-Olds

This accessible resource contains therapeutic stories and guidance for adults who are supporting young people aged 10–14 in foster, adoptive or kinship families. With a solution-focused approach, the stories are designed to address a range of social and emotional problems, covering topics such as bullying, eating disorders, trauma, parents’ health, homophobia and racism. Each story is accompanied by relevant context and theory, discussion points and creative activities that will stimulate the young person’s problem-solving skills and imagination, empowering them to explore solutions to situations in their own lives. Key features include: 35 therapeutic stories created to help young people make sense of their experiences, illustrating empathetic responses and solutions to social and emotional difficulties. Discussion points and related activities based on the author’s extensive practical experience and knowledge. Practice guidelines and case studies to illustrate how the story-making approach can be used by therapists, adoptive parents, social workers and teachers. Photocopiable and downloadable resources. This book will enable foster, adoptive and kinship parents, social workers, therapists, teachers and other professionals to support the young people with whom they are working to resolve their dilemmas and enhance their self-esteem. Review This book contains a treasure trove of creative ideas and suggestions based on Joan’s extensive experience and knowledge of working firstly as a social worker for many years and then as a dramatherapist and play therapist, supporting adoptive, foster and kinship parents, and placing creative play, drama and storytelling at the centre of her work with children Clive Holmwood, Associate Professor & Dramatherapist, University of Derby About the Author Joan E. Moore is an author, dramatherapist, play therapist and adoption support provider with foster, adoptive and kinship families. She works mainly in the family home, applying her “Theatre of Attachment” model of life-history therapy. Joan has written several books and articles and has completed a doctoral study at Leeds Beckett University, which focused on using story and drama to support these placements and is described in Narrative and Dramatic Approaches to Children’s Life Story with Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families, published by Routledge. She supervises creative arts therapists and delivers training. Having a background in social work with children and families and Youth Justice, Joan has undertaken Expert Witness Assessments of siblings, children’s care needs, parents, and assessments of prospective adoptive parents and foster and kinship carers.