Reflections on facilitating a ‘Tree of Life’ group for pupils transitioning from a specialist school for neurodivergent young people

Abstract

Times of transition can be challenging for young people, particularly neurodivergent young people who have been diagnosed by professionals. The current reflective piece explores the facilitation of a ‘Tree of Life’ group in a specialist school for school leavers who were experiencing anxiety related to the transition. The group took place over three sessions and feedback from group members reflected an increase in confidence in dealing with the transition and positive reflections on engaging with the ‘Tree of Life’ intervention. However, no changes in levels of anxiety were observed from a custom-made questionnaire. The authors reflect on the strengths and challenges of facilitating the group, in addition to helpful adaptations to support the engagement of these young people with the intervention.Easy to read summary■We are two professionals working in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.■We ran a ‘Tree of Life’ group in a specialist school, to help students who were feeling worried about leaving school.■In this article, we talk about what helped to run the group, particularly the changes we made to help the students engage with it, and what helpful changes we would make for future groups.■After the group, we did not find any changes in how worried, ready or prepared students felt to leave school, when we measured this through questionnaires. However, students did say they enjoyed telling their own stories and hearing other students’ stories. The group also shared that it helped them see their strengths and to feel more confident about moving on from school.