Fairytales may seem like simple childhood stories, but their impact runs much deeper than entertainment. For generations, tales of witches, magical keys and enchanted mirrors have offered children a way to explore fears, hopes and challenges that are often too big to name outright. Psychologists such as Bruno Bettelheim (The Uses of Enchantment, 1976) showed how children project their inner fears and conflicts onto these stories, while more recent studies in trauma-informed practice highlight how imagination and storytelling support healing (e.g., van der Kolk, 2014; Malchiodi, 2015).

When working with vulnerable children and youth, directly addressing trauma can feel unsafe or overwhelming. Fairytales offer a safe distance: a dragon can stand in for danger, a dark forest for uncertainty, and a magical tool for resilience. These symbolic layers open up space for conversation, helping young people give shape to their feelings and, step by step, reclaim a sense of agency.

From research to practice: The Healing Fairytales poster

To translate these insights into practice, we created the Healing Fairytales poster as part of our trauma-sensitive toolkit Facing Trauma. This poster provides a structured yet playful way to use storytelling as a tool for healing.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Step into the world of fairytales – Together, we explore familiar symbols and how they reflect real-life challenges. We look at characters and images from fairytales and how they connect to big feelings and challenges in daily life. This gives children a safe way to reflect on whether they have faced similar experiences and how they managed to deal with them.
  2. Connect with the poster – Players identify images such as dragons, forests, or magical tools and reflect on how these make them feel. The illustrations on the poster act as prompts. A dragon, a forest or a magical key can help children share what’s on their mind, even when words are hard to find.
  3. Use the bookmark – A practical storytelling aid, the bookmark helps shape the story: choose a hero, a friend, an obstacle, a talent, a magical tool and an ending. This simple structure gives children a sense of direction and control over their story.
  4. Create your own story – Each child crafts a personal fairytale, through words, drawings, or oral storytelling. Storytelling through the language of fairytales offers a safe metaphor, helping them give shape to emotions and recognise their own strengths.
  5. Reflect together – The group discusses how storytelling can be healing, emphasizing courage, creativity, and the possibility of hope. These stories are shared within the group (if everyone feels comfortable) and talk about how storytelling can support them in their own lives. This collective reflection deepens connection and reminds them that they are not alone in facing challenges.

By engaging with metaphors, children gain enough distance to feel safe, while still exploring emotions and discovering pathways to resilience.

Learn how to use the toolkit

The Healing Fairytales poster is just one of ten practical posters in our Facing Trauma toolkit. To help professionals apply these tools effectively, we offer an Open Training Day (in Dutch): a one-day training where youth workers, educators, and social professionals learn hands-on how to use the posters and other materials in the toolkit in a safe, creative, and trauma-sensitive way.

👉  Want to learn more? Explore the Facing Trauma toolkit and register for our next Open Training Day on 10 October 2025 or buy the toolkit yourself.

Resources
  • Bettelheim, B. (1976). The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. Vintage.
  • van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
  • Malchiodi, C. A. (2015). Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children. Guilford Press.
  • StreetSmart and MobileSchool.org: Facing Trauma Toolkit

This toolkit was co-financed by the European Union.