M
ilton Erickson claimed that every child has a driving need to learn and discover, that every stim-
ulus constitutes for the child a possible opportunity to respond in some new way (1980), from
which we may conclude that pediatric psychotherapy’s goal is appropriately directed at facilitating
and enriching such learning opportunities. Learning how to learn is one of life’s essential skills, equip-
ping the child with knowledge, shared experiences, strategies for coping, meaning, enjoyment, and
well-being in life. My definition of learning, thus, goes beyond the three R’s that are the basis of our
educational systems to include building on and utilizing the child’s natural curiosity and desire to
learn as a foundation for the acquisition of values, prosocial behaviors, problem-solving strategies,
and other necessary attributes that are incorporated—or not—during childhood.
In this chapter I have provided stories about empowering children to make a difference, about
developing positive attitudes toward life circumstances, and about learning to be self-reliant. There
are stories about learning to use the skills, resources, and abilities a child has available, as well as about
how to take a realistic approach to being happy (Burns & Street, 2003; Seligman, 2002).
STORY 2
KIDS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: A KID STORYTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Feeling helpless
■ Feeling powerless
■ Seeing what you can’t doCHAPTER 4
Enriching Learning