I’m a former counsellor turned family historian, exploring how the past continues to shape the present. My work blends psychology, genealogy, and social history to uncover the unseen emotional threads that connect generations.

By combining psychological insight with historical research, I invite readers to see family history not just as names and dates, but as stories of legacy, resilience, and inheritance.

Through my Who Do I Think You Were?® series, I bring a psychological lens to everyday lives of the past. My book A Victorian’s Inheritance explores how addiction and adversity affected my ancestors and their descendants, while my portrait memoir ‘Yet’: A Story of Triumph Over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability honours the forgotten children institutionalised in early and mid‑20th‑century Britain. 'Yet' is both a tribute to my father’s indomitable spirit and a reminder of the quiet power of determination, perseverance, and the word ‘yet’.

Through my books and articles, I help readers:

• understand the emotional legacies passed through their own families
• see their ancestors as people shaped by their time, relationships, opportunities and struggles
• find compassion for both past and present generations

Whether you’re a family historian, a psychology enthusiast, or simply curious about your ancestors, my work invites you to ask a deeper question of the people in your family tree: Who do I think you were?



Visit helenparkerdrabble.com to learn more about my books, research, and upcoming projects.