Creative Life Story Work Podcast

Care experienced babies and children in Darlington are experiencing the benefits of making music with their foster carers. Babies as young as two weeks old are taking part in musical sessions that support development and strengthen relationships. Blue Cabin's Lucy Ridley and Darlington Borough Council's Phil Austin offer insight into the This is the Place project and share how these early musical experiences are becoming part of children's Local Authority records.This is the Place takes place across Darlington Borough Council and across Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Find out more here

Psychologist Amy Payne and Therapeutic Life Story Work practitioner Karen Vance join us from Australia as we get hands-on and try out some Practice Pocket Cards. These cards are a life story work tool, created by Amy and Karen, which you can use to help plan sessions, start conversations and reflect on life story work. Amy and Karen walk us through the deck of cards and demonstrate individual cards in action -- from the "racetrack" activity that helps a child map their journey, to an ecomap exercise built around a plane flight.Book your place on Katie's live classroom by clicking hereSign up to our mailing list by clicking hereCheck out our upcoming online Live Classroom events by clicking hereFind out more about Creative Life Story Work membership by clicking here

How can you tailor life story work to suit children at different ages, from toddlers to teenagers? Therapeutic social worker, Katie Wrench, shares the principles that guide her work with children at different ages and developmental stages. Listen to this episode for an insight into how you can deliver direct work that meets children and young people where they are.Click here to book a place on Katie's Live Classroom, 10am-1pm, Wednesday 21st October 2026!-Sign up to our mailing list by clicking hereCheck out our upcoming online Live Classroom events by clicking hereFind out more about Creative Life Story Work membership by clicking here

We re-visit one of our most popular episodes: What does ‘good’ life story work look like?We delve into this question with Polly Baynes, who has 36 years’ experience in life story work with children. Hear Polly’s advice for practitioners, the ground rules she agrees, and how she responds when children share difficult feelings and memories.See our forthcoming training with Polly Baynes and other expert trainers here.Sign up to our mailing list by clicking hereCheck out our upcoming online Live Classroom events by clicking hereFind out more about Creative Life Story Work membership by clicking here

We welcome clinical psychologist and author, Dr Karen Treisman MBE, to the podcast. Karen draws on her extensive experience working cross-culturally to explain why creative methods are so powerful in refugee and asylum-seeking contexts. We explore how life story work can combat the fragmentation and dehumanisation that displacement can bring, helping young people build identity and belonging. Karen also shares some practical, creative ideas and activities you can use during life story work.Check out the online Live Classrooms we have coming up,​ delivered by our brilliant ​expert trainers!Find out more about Creative Life Story Work membership here, and sign up to our mailing list here, for regular updates on our training and resources.

Free resources to support life story work with refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people have been created by three organisations working together: Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), Therapeutic Life Story Work UK (TLSWUK) and Blue Cabin (the charity behind Creative Life Story Work).In this episode, Michael Nwoye (CFAB) and Paula Price (TLSWUK) join the podcast to share the story behind the resources: how they came to be, what shaped their development, and how practitioners can use them to facilitate meaningful, culturally sensitive life story work.You can access the free resources here.Check out the online Live Classrooms we have coming up,​ delivered by our brilliant ​expert trainers!Find out more about Creative Life Story Work membership here, and sign up to our mailing list here, for regular updates on our training and resources.

Clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Karen Treisman MBE, joins us on the podcast to explore emotional regulation. Karen shares a compassionate, human perspective, moving beyond one-size-fits-all techniques to focus on anchoring, presence and the nervous system. She discusses co-regulation in social work, why our own regulation matters, and how small everyday 'micro moments' can make a meaningful difference. Karen also offers creative, sensory-based approaches and insights into helping children feel safe, understood and supported.

Chair of Therapeutic Life Story Work UK, Paula Price, joins us on the podcast to talk about delivering life story work in school settings. Paula discusses working with teaching staff, challenges particular to working in a school, and how life story work fits within a school environment. She also shares insights into building trust with children, creative approaches, and moments that show the power of using play during life story work - when it has helped children to talk about difficult things which they may never have spoken about before.

Blue Cabin (the charity behind Creative Life Story Work), and Mary-anne Hodd (a care-experienced independent consultant and Therapeutic Life Story Work practitioner) are exploring life story work for care leavers aged 16-25. Mary-anne explains what the three-year Between Chapters project will focus on including why life story work matters for care leavers, how it differs from working with younger children, and what some of the gaps in support are. Mary-anne brings her own lived experience to the project and shares advice for other care leavers who are interested in life story work.Find out more about Between Chapters here: https://wearebluecabin.com/project/between-chapters/

Artist Elena Miller is an expert in using play and creativity to help children and young people explore their lives and their futures. Elena joins us on the podcast to explain how play and creativity can make life story work more inclusive and can give children empowerment, choice and control. You'll hear practical ideas for creating safe, playful spaces that build agency and connection. And Elena shares real life examples of children finding their voice in both in-person and online sessions.Hear a new episode of the Creative Life Story Work podcast on the first Thursday of each month.Find out more about Creative Life Story Work membership here, and sign up to our mailing list here, for regular updates on our training and resources.Check out the training we have coming up, including an online Live Classroom with Jessica Parker on trauma-informed approaches to eating disorders >>