There are lots of butterflies around at the moment which remind me of my childhood… of summer, sunshine and the beach, walks with my family and a butterfly-obsessed dad photographing and documenting everything with wings!

Summer draws us outside; flowers blossom and fruit is harvested.
It is the time of creation.

But the pupa stage of the butterfly’s life cycle speaks to me of something different. In the darkness of the pupa the caterpillar falls apart. It is not recognisable. It is mush, the raw materials of life, being reorganised into a being that will emerge and breathe life into wings.

I believe that people go through their own metamorphoses too, and it often takes place as we process our most painful stories. As a therapist, I am honoured to walk alongside people in this process and watch as they re-emerge from the otherside, in the new shape that they have discovered.

Growing Me’s mission is to make Therapeutic Life Story Work accessible to all, with an innovative approach that puts the child’s unique needs at the centre. What, if anything, does a child want or need to know about their past?
They may have questions.
They may not want to think about it.
What information is suitable and positive for a child of their age?
Life story work should not force a child to hear a story they have not asked to hear.

Growing Me is a guided therapeutic journey for children and their trusted adults to explore together. Designed for those who have experienced relational trauma, Growing Me’s 10 steps help adults and children build awareness of their body and mind, explore a sense of identity and belonging, and importantly, to build connections with each other.

A life story can be explored safely and therapeutically within the framework of Growing Me, but a child is not asked to face what they do not want to face. The time for them to enter the darkness of their pupas should be of their own choosing.