Webinar Story Stems: A Window into a Child’s Internal World

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This webinar introduces the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP), a unique, psychoanalytically-informed and evidence-based approach that provides valuable insights into children’s attachment patterns and internal representations through storytelling.  It is a tool that is used a lot by child mental health practitioners including Child Psychotherapists.

The SSAP uses a series of 13 narrative “story stems” that invite children to complete stories in their own way. By engaging children in a creative and non-threatening activity, the assessment offers a rare opportunity to access their internal world directly. Children’s verbal and non-verbal responses are carefully observed and coded, enabling practitioners and researchers to identify patterns that can be compared with those of children in the same age group.

During this webinar, participants will learn about the theoretical foundations and development of the SSAP, including its roots in attachment theory and developmental research. Through real clinical case studies, attendees will see how children’s story completions can reveal important information about their experiences, relationships, emotions, and expectations of others. The session will also explore the assessment’s practical applications in clinical and social care settings and review the growing body of research demonstrating its value with children from high-risk populations, including adopted children and those with care experience.

The webinar will consider what the SSAP can teach us about the internal worlds of vulnerable children and how it can help bridge the gap between research and practice. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the implications of these insights for assessment, intervention, and support planning. The session will also highlight opportunities for future research into attachment and internal representations in looked-after and adopted populations.

About the Speakers

Dr Saul Hillman is a Senior Research Fellow at Anna Freud and an Honorary Lecturer at University College London. He is the Lead Trainer in the Story Stem (SSAP) training and has been involved in its development and training over the last 25 years.  His PhD was specifically on the SSAP and he has since developed the Adolescent Story Stems (ASSP). He also teaches and supervises across several different postgraduate programmes through both institutions.  Within his research role, he primarily researched and led on studies around attachment, mentalization, trauma and grief.  Much of his work has been in the field of children who were considered ‘at-risk’ including adopted, foster, residential care and  traumatised populations.

Octavia is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor who has used SSAP in research, within CAMHS and as an expert witness for the family courts. Octavia has been teaching the SSAP for fifteen years. 

*If you are a psychotherapist or counsellor residing in an active conflict zone, you are eligible to attend this event free of charge (regardless of whether you are a bpf member or not). Please email events@bpf-psychotherapy to enquire about a ticket.