setting up therapeutic storywriting groups day 3 dr trisha waters
TRANSCRIPT
Setting Up Therapeutic Storywriting Groups
Day 3
Dr Trisha Waters
Therapeutic Storywriting: Day 3
9.15-10.50: Check-in & feedback from groups Active listening exercise (revision) Identifying themes and written emotional literacy comments
10.50-11.10: Coffee11.10-12.30: Preparing to end the group
Assessment and referring on Metaphor set in fantasy or external reality
12.30-1.15: Lunch1.15 - 3.30: Structuring a therapeutic story
Course evaluation Plenary
Book References for Day 3
Waters, T (2004) Therapeutic Storywriting, London: David Fulton
Chapter 6: Ways into Story and their Settings in Fantasy or External Reality
Chapter 8: The Teacher’s Story
Mindfulness Tuning
Check-in and feedback from groups
NameFeelings (person on right provides active
listening reflection using tentative openers)
How is your group going?
Revision: Active listening exercise
Begin your response with one of the following:
I wonder if you are feeling…
I imagine you feel…
You seem to be feeling…
Perhaps you might be feeling...
It sounds as if you are feeling…
Do not give advice, try to solve the problem or say “Oh, that happened to me”
Exercise: Emerging Themes and Revision of Written Emotional Literacy Comments
Look at one pupil’s set of stories
- Identify any emerging themes
- For their last story write down: 1 open question about a significant
subpersonality character 1 reflective (active listening) statement that
focuses on the feelings of this character (use tentative openers)
©Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting
Addressing the ending
Preparing for the endMaking the final bookWhat happens to the bookCelebration of completionPost evaluation
©Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting
Assessment and reporting to other professionals
‘My Support Plan’ targets Children’s own evaluation Literacy assessment Sharing stories with child’s permission Indications for referring on
Extension work with parents
Story Links video
www.storylinkstraining.co.uk
Emotional Literacy
‘the ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express our emotions’
Gardner’s definition of emotional intelligence includes: -
the intrapsychic or intrapersonal intelligence
the interpersonal intelligence
the sense of self
Fantasy and external reality
Fantasy metaphor- myths, fairy tales, legends, dreams, intrapsychic
Fantasy metaphor can be divided into lower unconscious and higher unconscious (transpersonal)
External reality metaphor is set in contemporary everyday reality and is useful for addressing more specific interpersonal issues
Exercise: Metaphor set in fantasy and external reality
Using a pupil’s story: List metaphor you might associate with the lower
unconscious
List metaphor you might associate with the higher unconscious
List some metaphor set in external reality
Metaphor settings in the Teacher’s Story
Useful to model either fantasy or external reality settings in the teacher’s story
External reality setting is useful for addressing interpersonal issues with older children
Sources of Metaphor
Personal meaning of imagery in children’s stories
Don’t discount modern media imagery
Archetypal imagery useful in the teacher’s story
Empathic response to significant metaphor
Ask open questions and keep statements tentative
Look for repetition which indicates a need for assimilation
Stay with the child’s interest and engagement rather than bringing in your own
Remember the importance of just showing the child that their story has been heard and thought about
Ways into Story
Opening sentence that names a feeling
Opening sentence that describes the behaviour associated with a feeling
Exercise: Story Openers (2)
Using a fairy tale or fantasy setting, write 2 or 3 story openings (no more than 2 sentences) which describe the character's behaviour in order to show the character is feeling one of the following emotions:-
Lonely Scared Angry Miserable Worried Fed up Irritated
The Teacher’s Story
Establishes a writer’s environment and engagement with story
Models academic literacy skills
Nurtures empathic relationship through the use of story ‘reverie’
Provides choice points for emotional literacy discussion
Addresses particular emotional issues in the safety of the story metaphor
Structuring a Therapeutic Story
Think of a child you work with and make a few notes about some of their presenting issues. Using a mind map:-
Identify a core emotional issue What behaviours relate to this issue Write a story beginning that projects this behaviour onto a fantasy
character- taking care not to make the character directly match the child Extend the story by magnifying this behaviour and showing how it does
not serve the real interests of the character Identify a bridge for change- meeting a wise person, a magic object etc Allow the changed behaviour to gradually unfold Finish with acknowledgement/celebration of what the character has
achieved
Share with a partner
Write the beginning of your story
Course Evaluation
Supervision
Therapeutic Storywriting Information, Research & Resources
Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting
www.TherapeuticStorywriting.com
Online training manual
www.TherapeuticStorywritingTraining.co.uk