About Kim Matthews
Kim Matthews
Kim is a qualified Social Worker and Therapeutic Life Story Practitioner with extensive experience supporting care-experienced children, foster families, adoptive families and professionals.
As co-creator of the Five Approaches to Life Story Work framework, Kim has helped shape contemporary Life Story Work practice across the UK through research, training, consultation and direct therapeutic work.
Her specialist interests include Therapeutic Life Story Work, family contact assessment and support, attachment-based interventions, safety planning, placement transitions and helping children make sense of complex life experiences.
Kim is the Life Story Work Service Area Lead at The Behaviour Clinic.
Qualifications
- Social Work, BSc
- Therapeutic Life Story Work, University Diploma
Post Qualifying
- Practitioner in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (PCPT) BPS Accredited
- Parent Child Attachment Play Certified
Professional Registration
- Social Care Wales
- British Association of Social Workers
Publications & Presentations
Publications
Courses
Presentations
How Can Kim Help?
Kim has extensive experience supporting care-experienced children and young people through a range of Life Story Work approaches. As Life Story Service Area Lead and co-creator of the Five Approaches to Life Story Work, she works with children, carers, practitioners and organisations to develop effective, evidence-informed Life Story practices.
Kim provides specialist therapeutic support, consultation and training, helping families and professionals build confidence in supporting children who have experienced trauma and adversity. She also supports organisations to embed Life Story Work into everyday practice.
Alongside Life Story Work, Kim uses her therapeutic skills to support family contact arrangements, safety planning and integration, family integration, placement transitions and other complex situations involving children and families. Her approach combines therapeutic understanding with practical strategies to promote safety, stability and positive outcomes.
Life Story Work
Kim has extensive experience in providing Therapeutic Life Story Work to children and families.
Kim provides a number of training programmes supporting Social Care Practitioners, carers and other professionals to become more confident with Life Story Work.
Kim also undertakes assessments for Court in relation to therapeutic needs, attachment and life story needs.
Contact Kim for Support
Kim Can Help With:
- Therapeutic Life Story Work: Therapeutic life story work for complex cases.
- Therapeutic Placement Transitions: Therapeutic support for complex placement transitions in foster care, adoption and rehab home.
- Life Story Work Training: Certified training in Life Story Direct Work and Life Story Coaching.
- Life Story Work Supervision: Practitioners who have completed Level 1 training can progress to Level 2 with supervision.
- Court Assessment: Court assessment in therapeutic needs, sibling attachment, placement planning and life story needs.
- Conference Presentations: On the specialist areas listed above.
- Therapeutic Contact: For complex family situations.
Parent, Child & Practitioner Feedback
"The Life Story Training and supervision have been amazing. It has built my confidence to talk to young people about their histories"
Emma, Bridgend
"My child now understands why he is adopted. Kim has helped us develop our relationship through our understanding of his history"
"I would recommend Kim and Laura's Life Story training to all. It is more thorough and detailed than any training I have been on"
Claire
"I really took a lot from the session today. Really insightful and helped me reflect on my current practice. Thank you so much", Kat
