This is a well-written and easy-to-read guide to a complex subject and has something to offer both those who are new to life story work, and practitioners with significant experience.

The Child's Own Story argues that many traditional approaches to lifestory work focus too much on the facts as recorded by others in thechild's life and too little on the process of arriving at the story thatis actually written. In arriving at this story, the child is encouragedto question and review their understanding of events, as well as thestories told by others.

The journey is not a quest for definitive facts but an opportunity tohelp the child face up to and discover a family history, which forms anessential part of their own development and identity. This history maycontain happy episodes as well as troubling ones, but the approachdescribed emphasises the importance of not sidestepping difficultissues, recognising that surviving traumatic and abusive events is afundamental aspect of the child's own story.

Through the process of facing up to some form of truth the child isenabled to discard confusion, embarrassment and fantasies that have beenconstructed about past events as a protective mechanism. The processenables the child to internalise a context to their life, which isessential to give them the ability to move into a new stage of life.

The work is seen as one third of a trio of interventions: therapy;therapeutic parenting; and life story. Each segment of the work isclearly boundaried, as well as integrated, and the reader is left in nodoubt about the degree of skill and commitment needed to make a goodlife story worker.

The book is sprinkled with case vignettes that support the text andexercises that can be used for self reflection or work in groups.

For those interested in following up some of the issues raised, the bookis well referenced without being overly academic and makes a usefuladdition to any library.

- Reviewed by Janet Rich, director, Bryn Melyn Group

The Child's Own Story: Life story work with traumatized childrenBy Richard Rose and Terry PhilpotJessica Kingsley PublishingISBN 1843102870160pp14.95