Written by Ewa Mikrut, BACP Member & Expressive Arts Counsellor specialising in ADHD, autism and young people.
If your child goes quiet the moment you ask “how do you feel?”, storytelling offers another way in. Working online with families across the UK and internationally, I use narrative, character and imagination in creative counselling to reach children, teenagers and neurodivergent young people for whom direct questions rarely work. Instead of asking a child to explain themselves, storytelling invites them to speak through a character or an adventure, where the hardest feelings can finally take shape.
What is storytelling counselling for children?
Storytelling in creative counselling is a way of working that uses narrative, character and imagination to help children process feelings, experiences and worries that are difficult to say out loud. Rather than asking a child to describe what is wrong, it invites them into a story where those same feelings can be explored at a safe distance.
In a session, this might mean reading a story together and pausing gently at the moment a character struggles. It might mean a child inventing their own tale, using puppets, drawings or simply their voice. What matters is not whether the story is well-formed or the ending makes sense. What matters is what moves in the child as the story unfolds.
Children do not always have the words for what they are carrying. A story gives them a shape to carry it in instead.
How does storytelling help children process emotions?
When a child speaks as a character rather than as themselves, something shifts. The distance a story provides is not avoidance, it is safety, a space large enough to hold a feeling that would otherwise feel too exposed to name.
In sessions, I often notice that a child who insists nothing is wrong will, minutes later, describe a character who is “a bit worried inside” or “carrying something heavy”. The story says what the child cannot yet say directly.
A well-chosen story can also model regulation. Watching a character face fear, find belonging, or move through a difficult stretch of feeling gives a child a felt sense that big emotions can be moved through, not just endured.
What happens in a storytelling counselling session?
Every child arrives at storytelling differently, but sessions tend to follow a gentle rhythm:
- We begin with a story, sometimes one I bring, sometimes one your child brings themselves.
- We pause at the moments that seem to matter, noticing rather than analysing.
- Your child is invited to respond in whatever way feels natural: drawing, retelling, changing the ending, or simply sitting with what has been noticed.
- Over time, characters or images can become a shared language between us, and often between your child and you at home.
There is no correct way to take part. A child who barely speaks and a child who narrates constantly are both fully welcome in this work.
Can storytelling help neurodivergent children with ADHD or autism?
ADHD and autism are natural variations in how a child thinks, feels and processes the world, not deficits to correct. For many neurodivergent children, storytelling offers a way of communicating that does not depend on eye contact, quick verbal recall, or sitting still, three things that traditional talking-based approaches often ask for without realising it.
An autistic child who finds direct questions overwhelming may feel far more able to talk once the conversation moves through a shared story. A child with ADHD who struggles to sit with a single feeling for long can often stay present far longer inside an adventure than inside a direct conversation about emotions.
This is one of the reasons storytelling sits so naturally alongside neuroaffirming counselling more broadly: it meets children where their attention, language and imagination already are, rather than asking them to meet a format that was never built with them in mind.
How can parents use storytelling at home to support their child?
You do not need a session to begin. A story read together at bedtime, paused gently at the right moment, can open a door.
- Choose a story where a character faces something similar to what your child is carrying.
- Pause at the character’s difficult moment and simply wonder aloud: “I wonder how they’re feeling right now.”
- Let your child answer for the character, not for themselves. The distance often makes the truth easier to reach.
- Resist the urge to explain or fix. Let the story do the work.
This is not about finding the correct interpretation. It is about giving your child a shared moment where big feelings are welcome, without pressure to name them precisely.
If you would like a fuller picture of what this looks like across different creative mediums, storytelling is one part of the wider world of creative arts counselling for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is storytelling the same as creative arts counselling?
Storytelling is one strand within the wider field of creative arts counselling, which also includes work with colour, movement, clay and other creative mediums. Story and narrative simply become the main language used to explore feelings.
At what age can storytelling help my child?
Storytelling can support children from as young as four or five, right through adolescence. The approach adapts with age, from picture books and puppets with younger children to more complex narrative work with teenagers.
Does my child need to be good at reading or writing?
No. Storytelling does not require reading or writing ability. Many sessions involve listening, drawing, speaking aloud, or simply responding to a story that is read to the child.
Can storytelling help with anxiety or big worries?
Yes, many children use storytelling to explore anxious feelings at a safe distance, through a character who is also worried or afraid. This is not a replacement for a clinical assessment, but it can be a gentle, low-pressure way to open a conversation about anxiety.
How many sessions will my child need?
This varies from child to child, since storytelling in counselling is a process rather than a fixed programme. Some families find a handful of sessions helpful for a specific worry, while others continue longer-term work alongside their child’s wider support network.
A note on professional support
This article is intended as general information and reflection, not a diagnosis or a replacement for professional assessment. If you are concerned about your child’s mental health or emotional wellbeing, your GP is a good first point of contact. You can also find further guidance through Young Minds, a UK charity dedicated to children and young people’s mental health, or through the National Autistic Society if autism is part of what you are navigating.
If any of this feels familiar, I would love to hear from you. You can book a free 20-minute introductory call to talk through whether storytelling might be a good fit for your child.
