ABSTRACT
The telling of stories in times of trouble is not a new concept; however, it is a practice that needs to be rediscovered in our highly technical age. It is both built on received wisdom from ancient civilisations and informed by contemporary therapeutic practice. A healing story may be an old traditional tale, or it could be adapted to address the particular needs of an individual or a group. Some people create their own stories for children; others prefer to use existing tales. We need to be aware of what the story is that a child, or group of children, needs to hear. Children at risk or with special needs may be children with learning difficulties or physical challenges, children who have been neglected or abused, and not forgetting the child who is ‘invisible’. Therapeutic storytelling is applying storytelling with children who have a range of developmental delays and difficulties. It focuses on the story the child needs to tell, as well as the story the child needs to hear.
