Narrative Matters: words that hold: poetic form and the developing adolescent self

In institutional settings, adolescents are often asked to perform identity rather than explore it. Poetry - particularly brief, metaphor-rich forms - can function as a developmental bridge, creating conditions in which identity can be explored gradually, relationally, and on their own terms. This paper reflects on a six-session, school-based poetry curriculum for adolescents at elevated risk for behavioural and emotional concerns, organised around specific poetic forms as narrative tools for adolescent identity formation. We consider how six-word stories, sentence stems, persona-based writing, unsent letters, and group poems shape what can be said and how identity can be held, shared, and revised. In doing so, the paper suggests that poetic forms offer adolescents a safer, more agentic pathway into identity exploration with meaningful implications for school-based mental health practice.