The Power of Story: Helping Kids Heal and Thrive

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!How can storytelling help kids heal? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Sharon Zaffarese-Dippold to explore how story helps children make sense of their experiences, build resilience, and move toward thriving, including simple, everyday ways to begin using it at home. She is a psychotherapist with 27 years of experience in counseling and author of the "Garbage Bag Life" series, which emphasizes her journey through foster care.In this episode, we discuss:Can you tell us a little about your own journey and why helping children make sense of their stories became such an important part of your life?What did you wish the adults around you had understood about what you were carrying as a child?Why are stories such powerful tools for helping children heal?What is it about a story that often feels safer than direct conversations, especially for children who have experienced trauma, loss, foster care, adoption, or family disruption?What happens when children don't have a coherent story about their lives?What are some of the questions they may silently wrestle with?Many parents and caregivers are afraid of saying the wrong thing around a child’s story. What do you suggest?What does it mean when a child moves from "What's wrong with me?" to "What happened to me?"What are some simple ways parents and caregivers can build storytelling into everyday family life?Stories can be used for more than understanding a child’s history in adoption, foster care, and relative care. They can also help children recognize their strengths, resilience, and a sense of belonging.How can parents and caregivers use storytelling to build family identity?Resources:How to Talk with Our Kids About the Difficult Parts of Their StoriesHow to Make and Use an Adoption LifebookBuilding the Framework for Adopted & Foster Children to Process the Hard Parts of Their StoriesThe Healing Power of StorytellingSuggested Books for Kids:  Adoption, Foster Care, and Kinship CareSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review.  This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building