Storytelling

Exercise 1: Vague Story
"Earl and Sandy lay on the floor after their home was shattered, and they were forced out. Pieces of glass surround them. There's a downpour of water as they both struggle to breathe."

What if I told you Earl and Sandy were fish?

People have been telling stories throughout history. They tell stories to teach lessons, to share messages, and to motivate others. Some stories are happy, while some are sad.

Description: Art of influencing others pertaining to their personal dilemma. Used as psychotherapy to influence a client to develop him/herself in a way agreed upon between worker and client...

A tool to elicit children's thoughts, identify their distortions, and help them to more accurately make sense of their world.

Stories use metaphors and imagery to change the way we see our lives in the world, offering growth to the tellers and readers. They connect us to each other and help us find meaning and hope.

Therapeutic storytelling is different than ordinary conversation in that storytelling draws upon the philosophy of diverse cultures and beliefs. The interaction evokes personal and psychological growth within the client by tapping into their unconsious.

Therapeutic goal is accomplished when the client identifies with the elements in the story and then embraces desired outcomes. By identification, the client understands that things can work out for him or her.

Examples

• CYC making up stories
• Children making up stories
• Reading stories from books
• Writing and dictating stories
• Projective/apperception tests
• Drawings

Examples cont.

• Using things to stimulate stories
• Puppets
• Open-ended fantasies
• Using props and aids such as audio or video recorder, walkie-talkies, toy microphones, imaginary TV set (large box with cut-out)

Untitled Slide

Untitled Slide

Why tell stories?

• It's fun!
• To enhance relationships
• Stimulate imagination
• Improve listening skills
• Teach a moral or lesson

Uses of Storytelling

• Changing Moods: Change the gloom in a group into laughter or relaxation
• Desensitizing: By identifying with character, able to distance themselves from the stress, and look at problems objectively in a safe setting

Uses of Storytelling cont.

• Communicating Indirectly: In most cases, storyteller tells about someone or something else. Important to discuss indirectly to save face
• Redefining Problems: Child project their problems on to the characters, which provide opportunity to see their problems in a new way and appreciate that others share the same struggle.

Uses of Storytelling cont.

• Provide Alternatives/Solutions: When presented with solutions in a metaphorical fashion, they are free to utilize strategy by character or adapt a strategy better suited for themselves.
• Stimulate Unconsious Search: Stories with no solution require creative thinking, easier if thinking for someone else

Storytelling & Friendship

Building Trusting Relationships

• Find common interests through favourite books and spending enjoyable face-to-face time together
• Friendship demands self-revelation, taking friend's criticism as admiration or praise
• Frienship and justice become more connected, helps move morality from self-serving to thinking of others

Building Trusting Relationships cont.

• Presents challenges such as:
• Ability to maintain integrity under pressure to resist betraying others or giving into negative values such as greed and jealousy, and by sharing stories becomes a source of inner strength

Friendship Themes

• Honesty: Important in telling stories if others are going to take them seriously for both the content and process.
• Loyalty: Certain dilemnas require cooperation to think about priorities of what they should be loyal to

Improving Interpersonal Skills

• By improving sympathy and empathy in sharing stories, teach value in forgiveness (e.g. perspective taking, looking glass self)
• Understand how friends serve in our identities and mutual well-being through practices of storytelling and dialogue

Improving Interpersonal Skills cont.

• Stories brings friends and strangers together through inspirational messages that touch all in deep ways
• Gain social skills by reflecting and partaking on the acceptable behaviours in the books

CYC Role with Storytelling

Child and youth care professional incorporates verbal and non-verbal information provided by the client into the formulation and delivery of a story that affects therapeutic outcome.

Familiarize yourself with the myths, legends, and folklore of various cultures in their original form to as close to it as possible. Collect information regarding their likes & dislikes, interests, hobbies, and life situation when selecting a story.

Once you have chosen a story, tap into the creative artist within in order to enhance the presentation of the story. Use your voice and body to breathe life into the words. Experiment and balance with use of props and other modalities.

Make-Believe

• Ask the children to write out in brief their favourite story, fairy tale, or nursery rhyme.
• Instruct them to exchange the names in the story with their names and of friends or relatives.
• When completed, these stories are to be read aloud to the group.
• Early beginning for use of metaphor.

Story for Story Technique

• Facilitator tells a story, and in the story, the main character finds him/herself in a dilemma.
• But the facilitator does not finish the story.
• Participants are asked to come up with a mutually acceptable solution to the problem and complete the story.

Mutual Storytelling Technique

• The child tells a story. Make sure they have a beginning, middle, and end.
• The CYC tells his/her own story, using the same characters that he child used but offer a better solution.
• Important to know the child's life and understand the main theme of the child's story.

Remic Storytelling Technique

• Select a problem area that can be openly discussed in a group.
• Write down their reponses word for word to some of your questions, e.g. "How did you feel afterwards"
• When information is gathered, write your story using as many of the statements collected.
• Read out loud to the group.

Make-a-Picture Story (MAPS)

• Consist of a series of background pictures—a living room, a street, a bridge, and so on—together with human and animal cut-out figures.
• Child selects figures and positions them and tells or enacts the story.
• He/she can move the figures and add more scenes.

Practical Tips

• Ask questions about the characters and their choices they have made, "What if's?"
• After the storytelling in a group, ask children to act out story, adding their own interpretations. Or the child may play different parts.

Practical Tips cont.

• Use the three R's: Rhyme, rhythm, repetition (i.e. theme of three)
• Read the book aloud before telling the story. Try to tell the story in your own way.
• Children see through "corny" books and prefer entertainment than getting at feelings.

Steel City Stories: an event series for Hamiltonians to share stories from their own lives.

The series includes 4-5 storytelling events throughout the year, planned around different themes. Each event features true stories told by people who are from, live in, or are involved with the Hamilton community.

(http://steelcitystories.ca/)

Telling Tales: a free, one-day, outdoor festival, and a year ‘round commitment to promoting literacy and inspiring a love of reading (http://www.tellingtales.org/)

Exercise 2: Memory Game

Be a 'komodo dragon'

Borrowed Wisdom

• The '555' Rule
• When faced with a difficult situation, evaluate your choices by asking yourself, will this matter in...
• 5 minutes?
• 5 months?
• 5 years?

Exercise 3: The Haney Test
"A businessman had just turned off the lights in the store when a man appeared and demanded money. The owner opened a cash register. The contents of the cash register were scooped up, and the man sped away. A member of the police force was notified promptly."

True/False/?

• A man appeared after the owner had turned off his store lights.

True/False/?

• A man appeared after the owner had turned off his store lights.
• ?

True/False/?

• The robber was a man.

Untitled Slide

• The robber was a man.
• ?

True/False/?

• The man who appeared did not demand money.

True/False/?

• The man who appeared did not demand money.
• False

True/False/?

• The man who opened the cash register was the owner.

True/False/?

• The man who opened the cash register was the owner.
• ?

Resources

• Burns, M. (2013) Time in: An introduction to therapeutic activity programing and facilitation. Kingston, ON: Child Care Press.
• Oaklander, V. (2007). Windows to our children. Gouldsboro, MN: Gestalt Journal Press

Resources

• http://www.allthingshealing.com/therapeutic-storytelling.php
• http://blog.oup.com/2014/01/therapeutic-storytelling/
• http://steelcitystories.ca/
• http://storytellingtherapy.com/pages/intro.html
• http://www.tellingtales.org/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnwyB0Xm5lo