Description
Book SynopsisA comprehensive guide to understanding and using storytelling in therapy with kids and teens
George Burns is a highly experienced clinician with the remarkable ability to create, discover, and tell engaging stories that can teach us all the most important lessons in life. With 101 Healing Stories for Kids and Teens, he strives especially to help kids and
teens learn these life lessons early on, providing them opportunities for getting help and even learning to think preventively.
-Michael D. Yapko, PhD Author of Breaking the Patterns of Depression and Hand-Me-Down Blues
George Burns takes the reader on a wonderful journey, balancing metaphor, good therapeutic technique, and empirical foundations during the trip. Given that Burns utilizes all three aspects of the Confucian story referred to in the book-teaching, showing, and involving-readers should increase their understanding of how stories can be used therapeutically.
-Richard G. Wh
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments, xv
Introduction, xvii
What This Book Offers, xvii
A Word or Two about Words, xix
Oral versus Written Stories, xix
The Structure of This Book, xx
Story 1 A Story of the Story, xxiii
PART I EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING FOR KIDS AND TEENS, 1
Chapter 1 The Magic of Metaphor, 3
Why Tell Healing and Teaching Stories to Kids and Teens?, 3
A Brief History of Teaching Tales, 4
How Stories Inform, 5
How Stories Educate, 6
How Stories Teach Values, 7
How Stories Discipline, 8
How Stories Build Experience, 9
How Stories Facilitate Problem-Solving, 10
How Stories Change and Heal, 11
When Not to Speak in Stories, 13
Chapter 2 Guidelines for Effective Storytelling, 15
Ten Guidelines for Effective Storytelling, 16
Six Guidelines for the Storyteller’s Voice, 25
Chapter 3 Tools and Techniques, 30
Books as a Source of Healing Stories: Bibliotherapy, 30
Drama as a Source of Healing Stories, 32
Videos or DVDs as a Source of Healing Stories: Videotherapy, 33
Puppets, Dolls, and Toys as Metaphor, 35
Play as Metaphor, 36
Humor as Metaphor, 38
Experiential Metaphors, 39
Child-Generated Metaphors, 41
Collaborative Tales, 42
To Discuss or Not to Discuss?, 43
PART II HEALING STORIES, TEACHING STORIES, 45
Chapter 4 Enriching Learning, 47
Story 2 Kids Can Make a Difference: A Kid Story, 47
Story 3 Kids Can Make a Difference: A Teen Story, 49
Story 4 Feed What You Want to Grow, 50
Story 5 Look after Yourself, 52
Story 6 Come up Laughing, 53
Story 7 It’s in the Way You Do It, 54
Story 8 Making the Most of What You Are Given, 55
Story 9 Doing What You Can, 56
Story 10 Seeking Happiness, 58
Chapter 5 Caring for Yourself, 61
Story 11 Soaring to New Heights: A Kid Story, 62
Story 12 Soaring to New Heights: A Teen Story, 64
Story 13 Recognizing Your Abilities, 66
Story 14 Let Joe Do It, 68
Story 15 Discovering Your Specialness, 70
Story 16 The Importance of Accepting Compliments, 72
Story 17 What You Give Is What You Get, 74
Story 18 Good, Not Perfect, 75
Story 19 Be Yourself, 76
Story 20 Increasing Self-Awareness, 78
Chapter 6 Changing Patterns of Behavior, 81
Story 21 Facing Fears: A Kid Story, 82
Story 22 Facing Fears: A Teen Story, 84
Story 23 See for Yourself, 86
Story 24 Learning to Think for Yourself, 88
Story 25 Build on What You Are Good At, 90
Story 26 Learning New Tricks, 92
Story 27 A Gesture That Changed a Whole Suburb, 95
Story 28 Making a Difference, 96
Story 29 Changing Patterns of Behavior, 97
Story 30 I’m Not Afraid Anymore, 99
Chapter 7 Managing Relationships, 102
Story 31 Caught in the Middle: A Kid Story, 103
Story 32 Caught in the Middle: A Teen Story, 104
Story 33 Making and Maintaining Friendships, 106
Story 34 The Four Faithful Friends, 107
Story 35 Negotiating a Solution, 108
Story 36 New Friends, 110
Story 37 Finding Tenderness, 112
Story 38 Going Inside, 114
Story 39 Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Place, 116
Story 40 Making and Keeping Friends, 118
Chapter 8 Managing Emotions, 121
Story 41 Heightening Pleasure: A Kid Story, 122
Story 42 Heightening Pleasure: A Teen Story, 123
Story 43 Having Fun, 125
Story 44 Cultivating Contentment, 127
Story 45 Nailing Down Anger, 129
Story 46 Helping with Humor, 131
Story 47 Flying off the Handle, 132
Story 48 Learning to Laugh, 133
Story 49 Change Your Posture, Change Your Feelings, 135
Story 50 Expressing Emotions Congruently, 136
Chapter 9 Creating Helpful Thoughts, 139
Story 51 Managing Grief: A Young Kid Story, 139
Story 52 Managing Grief: A Kid Story, 141
Story 53 An Act of Kindness, 142
Story 54 Things May Not Be What They Seem, 144
Story 55 Positive Reframing, 145
Story 56 Thoughts Determine Feelings, 146
Story 57 Finding Exceptions to Problems, 147
Story 58 Learning to Use What You Have, 149
Story 59 Learning to Discriminate, 150
Story 60 Awakening Confidence, 152
Chapter 10 Developing Life Skills, 155
Story 61 Facing a Moral Dilemma: A Kid Story, 156
Story 62 Facing a Moral Dilemma: A Teen Story, 157
Story 63 Learning about Rules, 159
Story 64 Sometimes Terrible Things Happen, 160
Story 65 Accepting What You Have, 162
Story 66 Taking Responsibility, 163
Story 67 Making Decisions, 165
Story 68 Taking a Different View, 167
Story 69 Overcoming Fear, 168
Story 70 The Secrets of Success, 170
Chapter 11 Building Problem-Solving Skills, 173
Story 71 Overcoming Adversity: A Kid Story, 174
Story 72 Overcoming Adversity: A Teen Story, 175
Story 73 Collaborative Problem-Solving, 177
Story 74 Thinking through a Problem, 178
Story 75 Solving a Problem, 180
Story 76 Acceptance, 182
Story 77 Learning to Share, 184
Story 78 Tending to the Neglected, 185
Story 79 Taking Control, 187
Story 80 Creating a Wish, 189
Chapter 12 Managing Life’s Challenging Times, 193
Story 81 Blowing Away Pain: A Kid Story, 194
Story 82 Managing Pain: A Teen Story, 195
Story 83 Beating a Bully, 196
Story 84 I Am Only Nine, 198
Story 85 Coping with Illness, 199
Story 86 Finding Solutions, 201
Story 87 Facing Challenges, 203
Story 88 Getting Back on Your Feet, 204
Story 89 Facing Thoughts of Suicide, 206
Story 90 Learning to Care for Yourself, 208
Chapter 13 Kids’ Own Healing Stories, 211
Story 91 The Ghost Who Learned to Scare, 212
Story 92 Girl, 213
Story 93 Days to Come, 214
Story 94 Mary-Jane’s Story, 216
Story 95 Sally’s Problem, 218
Story 96 My Life, 220
Story 97 My Life Story, 221
Story 98 Rock Your Way out of It, 222
Story 99 When There Is Nothing I Can Do, 223
Story 100 Lucy Mac’s Story, 225
PART III CREATING YOUR OWN HEALING STORIES FOR KIDS, 227
Chapter 14 How Can I Use Metaphors Effectively?, 229
Potential Pathways for Effective Metaphor Therapy, 229
Potential Pitfalls in Effective Metaphor Therapy, 234
Chapter 15 Where Do I Get the Ideas for Healing Stories?, 240
Metaphors Built on a Basis of Evidence, 240
Metaphors Built on Heroes, 242
Metaphors Built on Imagination, 243
Metaphors Built on Therapeutic Strategies, 244
Metaphors Built on an Idea, 246
Metaphors Built on a Child’s Own Story, 247
Metaphors Built on Humor, 249
Metaphors Built on Cross-Cultural Tales, 250
Metaphors Built on Client Cases, 251
Metaphors Built on Everyday Experiences, 252
Guidelines for Using Personal Life Stories, 253
Chapter 16 How Do I Plan and Present Healing Stories?, 255
The PRO-Approach, 255
Make an Outcome-Oriented Assessment, 256
Plan Your Metaphors, 258
Present Your Metaphors, 262
Stop, Look, and Listen, 264
Ground the Story in Reality, 264
Chapter 17 Teaching Parents to Use Healing Stories, 266
Stories for Parents and Parenting, 266
Some Values of Teaching Parents to Use Metaphors, 268
Steps for Teaching Parents Storytelling, 270
An Example of Effective Parental Storytelling, 271
Helping Parents Build Storytelling Skills, 274
. . . And the Story Continues, 275
Story 101 Will You Be My Teacher?, 277
Resources, References, and Other Sources of Metaphoric Stories, 279
Index, 295
