Story Stems Assessment Profile (SSAP) Training Introductory Webinar

About this webinar

This is a 45-minute webinar which will introduce both of the following concepts:

• The Story Stem Assessment Profile Training (SSAP).

• The Adolescent Story Stem Assessment Profile Training (ASSP).

Both tools are designed to explore children’s and adolescents’ internal representations of attachment, family roles, and relationships through narrative techniques.

The SSAP is a well-established method used primarily with children aged four to nine, particularly those from clinical or maltreated backgrounds. It involves presenting children with the beginning of a story that features an everyday dilemma and inviting them to "show and tell me what happens next." This indirect approach allows practitioners to assess attachment-related perceptions without triggering anxiety or conflict. Endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2015), the SSAP is recommended for identifying attachment difficulties and guiding interventions across health and social care settings.

Building on the SSAP framework, the ASSP adapts the technique for use with adolescents. The webinar will explore the theoretical background of the ASSP, its developmental roots in SSAP, and the principal constructs it engages. Participants will be introduced to the six animated story stems used in ASSP, examining their rationale, thematic parallels, and unique features. The session will also cover the coding system, interpretation of ASSP scores, and how to organise narrative data into coherent codes for reporting.

For professionals seeking deeper training, both the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) and the Adolescent Story Stem Assessment Profile Training (ASSP) are offered as four-day courses covering administration, coding, and application across clinical, social work, and research domains.

Aims of this webinar

• To teach the administration, coding and applicability of the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) and the Adolescent Story Stem Assessment Profile Training (ASSP).

• To allow for professionals working with children to become trained and qualified to use the tool clinically and within the social work and research domain.

• To provide professionals with a shared forum/platform to think about the material they are working with.

Who is this webinar for?

• Post-graduate researchers

• Those who work with adolescents within a clinical or research setting.