Burns and Street say,
We use humor to cope with the various situations we encounter in life, to help change our feel-
ings, and to connect with other people. It can help develop group esteem and coherence, en-
hance the quality of our interactions with other people, and build the basis of a good relation-
ship. Humor can also help pacify conflicts, change a mood, and improve our perception of life.
(2003, p. 215)If humor holds such beneficial, inherent qualities, is it not a useful therapeutic goal to help children
and teenagers build laughter, a sense of humor, and the ability to see the funny side of life? For this
reason you will meet such humorous characters as Mr. Grumblebum, Wally the Wacky Wizard, and
a grumpy genie in Part Two, because using such characters, jokes, funny stories, and humorous
metaphors provides a win-win outcome. In addition, I have heard it said that humor can be an ef-
fective way to tell people what they do not want to hear in a way they want to hear it. While com-
municating using both the positive affect and effect of humor, it is possible to deliver a potent thera-
peutic message as in Story 47, “Flying Off the Handle.” In 101 Healing StoriesI devoted a whole
chapter to using jokes and humorous tales with adults (2001, pp. 200–213), while in Chapter 15 of
this book I discuss examples of the humor-based healing tales for children presented intermittently
through Part Two.
EXPERIENTIAL METAPHORS“Pairing action with metaphor to achieve change is crucial to work with children” (Linden, 2003b,
p. 150). Metaphors need not just be in the tellingof a tale but may also be in the doing. We have prob-
ably all heard it said that experience is the best teacher. You learn to drive a car by having the expe-
rience of sitting behind the steering wheel, pressing the pedals, using the blinkers, and coordinating
all those necessary eye-hand skills to make the vehicle move successfully and safely. Children may
knowthat their enuresis, aggressive behaviors, or drug use are inappropriate, but until they experience
what it feels like to wet the bed at a sleepover at a friend’s house, they meet someone stronger and
more aggressive, or they are rushed to a hospital because of an unintentional overdose, they may not
appreciate the need for change. Similarly, until they experiencea dry night, calmness in a stressful sit-
uation, or the strength and confidence to say “no” to drugs, it is difficult for them to appreciate that
change is possible. A core ingredient of therapy, therefore, is the creation of the experience of pos-
sible change, and experiential metaphors are ones crafted to create such beneficial experiential learn-
TOOLS & TECHNIQUESTools and Techniques 39
EXERCISE 3.5
■ Listen to children’s jokes.
■ Observe the TV programs they find humorous.
■ Use funny stories and jokes to communicate your therapeutic message.