Who was it that said ‘you teach what you need to learn?’ So who did I have in mind when I decided session one should be Trust? It was not just them, even though I know that we have to build trust within the group to move forward. It was me too. Trust the process, trust the LifeBook, trust yourself. I didn’t do any of those things after the first session! I focused on what went wrong and didn’t follow my own advice about looking at what went right. The students were very quick to get the symbolism: they felt like the path from the water to the horizon was a long one, they understood the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly and they expressed the desire to feel better.
They weren’t quite ready to start writing down what they were thinking and how they were feeling. This was my first time using the LifeBook. It was a little awkward and new for me and it may be for you too. I’ve used pages before, but never a book. As I said in the manual, trauma-affected youth are less likely to want to write in a book. Don’t let that discourage you or them. The LifeBook is about their powerful life story and they will soon become interested in what they have to say about their own journey.
