is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. How will we ever get over it?” And with that
she felt even sadder.
Debbie said, “Yes, it is terrible what has happened, but isn’t it good that we were exploring the
cave? We are lucky to have survived. We are so fortunate.” And with that thought she felt a little less
sad—certainly not a lot, but maybe just a little less sad.
“Yes, but we have lost everything,” said Dolly. “All our family, all our friends, all our food, all our
water.... Our home is completely destroyed.”
“Things could be worse,” replied Debbie. “At least we have each other. Already the dust is be-
ginning to settle; we can see the sky again and there might be another valley over the hills that is un-
touched. Maybe we can see if others have survived beyond this valley.”
“I don’t care about others,” said Dolly. “I just feel too much pain in myself. Why is this happen-
ing to me? My life is ruined.”
“Things may change and improve,” said Debbie. “Nothing ever stays the same. When we en-
tered the cave it was bright and sunny. Everyone seemed happy and was going about their business.
While we were inside it suddenly changed. It is likely that it will change again and start to get bet-
ter.”
“It never will be,” said Dolly. Her words felt heavy on her heart and her feelings grew sadder
with every sentence she spoke.
“No, it won’t be the same as it was,” agreed Debbie. “But let’s not lose hope for the future. Per-
haps we can start to do things to make it better than it is.” And as she thought ahead the sadness faded
even a little more.
“Things couldn’t be worse,” said Dolly. “I have lost everyone and everything. What are we go-
ing to do? Nothing is working out right anymore.” She kept saying the same things over and over in
her head and the more she did, the worse she felt, and the less she felt like doing anything except for
just sitting at the entrance to the cave looking over the blackened valley and feeling terrible.
“Come on,” said Debbie, nudging Dolly to her feet. “We need to dosomething. We need to
move on to find a new home and friends.” It wasn’t easy to get Dolly moving, but as soon as Debbie
was up and walking she certainly started to feel better. While the same sad thing had happened to both
Debbie and Dolly, I wonder which one you think was going to cope with it better. How was Deb-
bie thinking and what was she doing that made it easier for her to cope? How could Dolly change
her thoughts and the things she was doing to help herself feel better?
STORY 72
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY: A TEEN STORYTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Facing tough times
■ Threats to life and well-being
■ Seeming hopelessnessPROBLEM-SOLVINGBuilding Problem-Solving Skills 175