Second, it can be useful to have parents sit in on the metaphor therapy you are providing for their
child, if this is appropriate. Sometimes it might not be appropriate if the child has confided things he
or she does not wish to express in front of parents, or has a sense of autonomy about working through
the situation without a parental figure looking over his or her shoulder. When a parent is included,
I find it helps if you carefully describe to them, step by step, what led you to creating the metaphor,
how you developed the story, and why you presented it in the way that you did. You cannot expect
that by sitting in on just one session a parent will understand the processes you have developed over
years of study, training, and practice.
Third, review and revise the stories a parent is using. Spend some time with the parents, asking
them about the stories they have used. Listen to the tape they have recorded, or have them tell the
story to you in the way they did to their child. Explore whether their tales still meet the outcome
goals, or whether those goals—and the stories—need to be adjusted as the child progresses. Exam-
ine the resources being offered. Are they still relevant? Is there more that might be helpful? What do
you know from your own clinical experience and the literature that might be useful to add to their
stories?
Encourage Collaboration with the Child
For parents to work collaboratively and interactively with their child in the development of a heal-
ing story can enhance the parent-child relationship as well as the healing and teaching characteristics
of the story. You may encourage parents and children to make a video of the story, paint it, tell it in
play with a favorite toy or doll, enact it in drama, or make it into a storybook together.
... AND THE STORY CONTINUESLife is richwith stories: stories in theater, stories in books, stories in families, stories in our clients,
stories in our experience... stories in life itself. If there remains just one more thing to say, it is
something I hope has been underlying all that you have read so far. It is: Enjoy. Enjoy the process
of searching for, reading, and collecting story ideas. Enjoy the preparation, planning, and present-
ing of your own healing stories. Enjoy observing the benefits of using stories in teaching and ther-
apy. Enjoy the outcomes of your work and, above all, enjoy the children and adolescents with
TEACHING PARENTSTeaching Parents to Use Healing Stories 275
EXERCISE 17.1 TEACHING PARENTS TO USE HEALING STORIES
■ Practice coaching parents in the use of storytelling and metaphor.
■ It may help to walk them through the section on “Steps for Teaching Parents Story-
telling.”
■ Select the content of the story collaboratively with the parent or parents.
■ Have them tell the story to the child or to you, or to audiotape it if told at home.
■ Offer constructive feedback for them to continue using healing stories.