stop and remember when you first went to school. It felt scary and unfamiliar then, but look at how
you handle it now. If you made those changes once through elementary school, then surely you can
do the same at high school.”
Of course, Alicia didn’t know what lay ahead. She had no choice about the fact that she had to
go to high school, yet, again, she had a choice about how she felt. There might be scary things about
high school but there might be exciting, fun things, too. None of us can see the future, so Alicia
couldn’t be expected to know how interesting it might be to tackle new and different subjects, how
pleasant her teachers might be, or what new friends she might make. She had yet to experience all
the things she could do, like music, drama, and sports.
Alicia may have forgotten how she was already capable of making the changes to new and un-
familiar experiences. If she had done it at elementary school, surely she could do it now that she was
bigger and older and knew more than she did before. Someone had once said to her, “We only need
to do something once to know that we can. Once you have learned to ride a bike, play a new com-
puter game, or work out a math formula, you know you can do it again. The more you do it the bet-
ter you become.”
STORY 88
GETTING BACK ON YOUR FEETTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Trauma
■ Pain and hurt
■ Sudden, unexpected changes
■ Loss of a skillResources Developed
■ Acknowledging you past capabilities
■ Building on your strengths and abilities
■ Learning to stand on your own feet
■ Learning to take things one step at a time
■ Learning to move forward
■ Having confidenceOutcomes Offered
■ Adjustment to change
■ Utilization of past abilities
■ Skill acquisition
■ Confidence204 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories