T
he emphasis of this book so far has been on professional caregivers telling therapeutic tales ei-
ther toor in collaboration with children. However, parents, grandparents, and significant oth-
ers in the life of the child may have greater contact and intimacy with the child than a therapist who
is only available for a once-a-week consultation. If we can teach parents (the term I will use to in-
clude all close persons involved in the child’s day-to-day life) to relate healing stories as they share
a family meal, sit on a bedside at night, or drive along in a car, the benefits of storytelling can be en-
hanced through more exposure to therapeutic tales and better parent-child communication. But
first, let me address an issue that does not really fall within the parameters of this book, yet is some-
thing of which every therapist in the child and adolescent areas needs to be cognizant, and which it
would be remiss of me to overlook—the role of parents in influencing the conduct or behavior of
their children.
STORIES FORPARENTS AND PARENTINGWhile most parents approach the role of parenting with good intentions and the best desires for their
children, not all have learned, or had appropriate role models in, effective parenting skills. If we look
at the specific area of children with conduct issues, Dadds, Maujean, and Fraser say, “Conduct prob-
lems of aggression, stealing, non-compliance, lying and rule violations are among the most frequent
referrals to mental health clinics for children and adolescents” (2003, p. 238). While there is a range
of risk factors for conduct disorders that cover the epidemiological, developmental, social, educa-
tional, and other types (Loeber & Farrington, 2000), Dadds, Maujean, and Fraser are quite specific
CHAPTER 17
Te aching Parents to Use Healing Stories