Helen Parker-Drabble

ALLi Author Member

I’m a lifelong explorer of social history, a weaver of factual family tales, and hold a Diploma in counselling. Fascinated by psychological theory and the stories we develop to make sense of ourselves and our family, my original quest was to understand my Victorian grandfather, Walter Parker, born in 1885 in the English village of Upwell on the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border. Walter migrated to Canada in 1907.

I believe family history doesn’t survive unless it’s in print, so I pondered how to share what I had learnt. Inspired by the few trailblazers, I set out to write an engaging and accessible book that would not only explore working-class life in an English village, but could encourage other family historians to pass on what they have painstakingly discovered.

During my research a transgenerational legacy of loss, trauma, anxiety, and depression unravelled. It revealed repeated patterns of behaviour that I too had unwittingly passed on. This discovery helped me understand my work’s focus. As a geneatherapist, my mission is to use historical and current understanding of mental health, psychology, and neuroscience to deepen our understanding of our ancestors and benefit present and future generations.

It is through acknowledging and exploring these patterns that you can develop a deeper understanding of those who came before you, and pass on a healthier legacy to your children and grandchildren.