Outcomes Offered
■ Personal empowerment
■ Improved interpersonal relationships
■ Control over problems like drugs
■ Goal achievement
I once met a guy called Leonard, though all his buddies called him Leo and he even preferred
Leo, himself. He didn’t particularly want to see me. His mother had dragged him into my office, al-
most by the scruff of his neck. He sat looking down at the floor, his baseball cap pulled low over his
eyes, and she did all the talking.
What she had to say was all pretty negative. Leo was constantly in trouble at school and had been
expelled several times. He had left school early and had fallen into some bad company. He had lost
several jobs by fighting with the boss and he was now stacking goods in a warehouse—a position that
bored him to tears. He was in constant conflict with his father. His parents bought him a car that he
crashed and ruined in the first couple of months. He was now doing dope and speed.
I felt pretty bad hearing all the negative things she told me about Leo and wondered how he felt,
even though I’m sure that he’d heard them many times over.
When I saw Leo alone I said, “I have heard all the things Mom has said about you and what she
wants to be happening. I’m wondering what you want.”
“Some peace at home,” he replied, adding, “Dad’s always on my case. My friends aren’t good
enough. I should have a better job. I totaled his car. I can’t do anything right by him.”
When his dad got on his back, Leo would tell him where to put it and it often ended in a phys-
ical fight.
I asked what he thought he could do to help create more peace at home, and Leo was clear. “Cut
down on the speed,” he said. “That gets dad’s back up and I overreact when I’m using.”
I asked what else he wanted. “Another car,” he answered. He knew exactly what make and model
and how much he needed, so I then inquired what he needed to do to get a new car. “Save some
money,” he answered simply. How he could do that? “Stop using speed. At the moment I’m spend-
ing almost all my wages on it.”
When I asked what would help him cut down on the use of speed and save money, I was sur-
prised by how readily he came up with a number of ideas, and he said, “Instead of taking my wallet
when I go out, I can just take a few dollars in my pocket for drinks and other things. Also, I could
spend more time with friends who don’t use and less with those who do.”
When I saw him just a week later he had not used any speed for the whole week. It was the first
time that he’d been free for that long in the whole time he’d been using.
I was curious about what had helped. Leo just shrugged and said he had stuck with his decisions
not to take his wallet with him when he went out on the weekend and to spend more time with
friends who didn’t use. He had also decided to give his mother a fixed amount from his wages each
week so that she could put it in a savings account toward his car. If he had any money left over at the
end of the week he would give her that as well.
Leo surprised me how quickly he’d taken those steps and how successful he’d been in overcom-
ing his old habit. What was delightful, too, is that he maintained it. Not everyone does it as quickly
and as successfully as Leo. Sometimes it can be a struggle, but I guess Leo showed that it is possible,
202 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories