2. Basics
• Everyone has learnt a lesson for a story.
• A story is metaphorical when used to
communicate something more than the
events itself.
• Symbols are the smallest units of
metaphor.
• The story is a metaphor for the ideas it
expresses.
• The importance of fantasy.
3. The importance of Fantasy
• Fantasy is the inner world of the child.
Two types of play:
• Imitative – follow the leader, cook like a
mother
• Fantasy or symbolic play – an chair
becomes a rocket.
4. How therapeutic stories help with
coping methods
• Options about what to do when presented
difficult issues
• New possibilities, creative solutions for
overcoming problems
• Ways to dealing more effectively with
emotional difficulties
• Options for new ways of reacting to
situations
5. Metaphorical Images
• Allows the child to stay longer in the
situation.
• Provides the means for the child to stay
look at his powerful feelings from a
distance.
6. Unknown Thought
(Bollas, 1987)
• “ I know this exactly but I have not ever
thought it” (Margot Sunderland, 2007)
• When an unknown thought can be named,
then it can be thought through and felt
through.
• Children need emotional education and
therapeutic story help achieve this
education.
7. The Child and the therapeutic story
• Must be aptly chosen
• Must identify with the main character
• Must suffer the defeats, obstacles and
courage of the main character
• Must feel the character’s joys and relief in
coming through conflict and crisis to
resolution.
• Must be indirect – this its safety lies.
8. When to tell a T. Story
• When the child
- Giving full attention
- Being receptive
- Not distracted
- Before they go to sleep
9. Important things to remember
• Story can be
• Fantastical,
• Absurd,
• Do not put irrelevant character or side
plots into the story,
• symbolic and not literal,
• Can be interactive.
10. Therapeutic Story Making
• Identify the emotional problem or issue
which the child is experiencing.
• See handout for different scenarios.
• Can you think of any others?
11. Starting
• Set a therapeutic objective
• What would you like to change?
• Think of a strategy to achieve this
change
12. Develop a framework
• Put the issues into a different metaphorical context ……to which the
child can relate.
• Borrow ideas from stories you know.
• Start at the end a work backwards.
• Present the main character as experience the same emotional
.
problem as the child- Metaphorical conflict
• Show the main character using similar methods to deal with the
problem as those used by the child – personify unconscious
processes and potential in the form of heroes/helpers and villains or
obstructions.
13. Further Development
• Show how these methods lead your
character problems which lead to failure –
metaphorical crisis.
• The story so far should have captured the
whole context of how that character came
to that moment of crisis in their life.
14. Resolution
• Move towards the solution – vital part of the journey-
someone in the story appears to help the character
change direction and to move on to a better coping
mechanism which makes them feel a lot better.
• Don’t move too quick – story becomes unbelievable.
• Show the journey from crisis to positive solution – new
sense of identification
• Culminates with a celebration in which the protagonist’s
special worth is acknowledged.
15. The Ugly Duckling
• Metaphorical Conflict • Birth of funny looking duckling.
• Unconscious processes and potentials • Mother defends him, cites positive
qualities, gets a first look at swans.
• Learning to swim, take care of himself
• Parallel learning situations
and fly.
• Metaphorical crisis • Attack in the marsh, cold winter in the
pond.
• Beholds beautiful new image in the
• New identification water.
• The old swans are in awe of him
• Celebration
