Session Six Story Selection and Program Design
Story Selection & Program Design Deciding on the Appropriate Story Now that the storyteller is familiar with the characteristics of therapeutic stories and those specific to the stories in the text, the task becomes one of selecting the appropriate story or stories for the individual child. Outlined below is a four-step process to determine the stories’ potential as teaching and healing agents for children. I have also included, for the sake of program planning, examples of children who may need a modified version of the storytelling process outlined in this course. understanding the child’s problem determining the child’s problem themes choosing the range of stories selecting and sequencing the stories matching suitability and style
Understanding the Child’s Problem The first step, understanding the child’s problem, is accomplished during the individual interviews conducted with the child and parents. These meetings with the parent(s) and child allow the storyteller to gather information about the child to develop a better understanding of the child’s problem. From this information the storyteller knows what problems the child is having and has a good idea of the child’s life experiences. Here is a brief case study of Raj and how the information both from the interview and subsequent sessions were used to develop the therapeutic program.
Raj - Step One The preliminary meetings determined that Raj was a 14-year-old from an inner-city neighbourhood who had been kicked out of his home by his oldest brother. His father had abandoned his family when Raj was 9, at which time his oldest brother was considered “the man” of the house. When I met Raj, he was living in a group home provided by the child protection authorities. He lived “on the streets” for two months before he was apprehended and he had been using drugs and alcohol. During that time he had been physically abusive to his girl friend and was charged with assault. He was enrolled in a local high school but had not been attending classes. In my interview with Raj, he described his life as “a nightmare,” reporting that his brother was violent and abusive to him and his mother. He presented as being very angry and hostile, but as the interview progressed, he relaxed considerably. He told me he did not like the group home staff or his teachers at school. He felt that they did not understand him.
I met with his mother but his brother refused to attend. Raj’s mother presented as distant and seemingly unconcerned about Raj’s wellbeing. She explained that her husband had been abusive to her and the two boys. He had died, or been murdered, in a street fight. Raj’s mother stated that she relied on her oldest son to care for and discipline his younger brother while she was working in the evening. She believed that Raj’s brother had done the correct thing by putting him out of the house.
Determining the Child’s Problem Themes The second step, determining the problem theme, as with the first step, begins during the individual interviews conducted with the child and his/her parents. The information gathered during these meetings assists the storyteller in determining the negative life experiences of the child and how they relate to the five problem theme areas of abandonment, abuse, addiction, oppression, and lack of initiation.
Raj - Step Two What appeared to be the most pervasive problem theme for Raj was abandonment. His whole family had abandoned him, and he felt misunderstood by them and the other adults in his world. Another problem theme appeared to be lack of initiation. According to both him and his mother, there were no male extended family members available to him to talk with, and from the descriptions of his father’s and his brother’s behaviour, it would appear that they were not very positive role models. Another theme for Raj was the abuse theme. His father and brother physically and emotionally abused him, and he had physically abused his girlfriend. Oppression also appeared to be a problem theme in Raj’s life. His family life was oppressive from the description of his father’s and older brother’s behaviour, and the fact that mom felt that his brother had been correct in exiling Raj from his family. He did have problems with addiction while he was living “on the streets,” but that had not been a problem previously, and Raj felt that this was not a serious problem. It appeared that Raj had difficulties in all of the problem theme areas except perhaps addiction.
Choosing the Range of Stories With an adequate understanding of the child and her problem themes, the next step is determining the relevant stories. Here, the storyteller can refer to the attachment or to pages 36 and 37 in the text to examine the section on Problem Themes and select the stories that are listed under the headings for each of the problem theme areas. Since many children have more than one problem theme area, storytellers need to prioritize the child’s problem themes. After this, they need to decide whether to tell the child:  a series of stories focusing on one problem theme at a time, or  a few stories that cover a number of the problem themes within each story The case of Raj provides an example of how this is done.
Raj - Step Three In Raj’s case, because of the complexity of the problems and the number of problem theme areas, I chose to prioritize his problem theme areas and select one or two stories that would cover a number of themes. I saw his problem themes in this order of priority: abandonment, oppression, betrayal, lack of initiation, and abuse (victim and perpetrator).
Choosing the top three stories listed under each problem theme heading gave me the following list: Abandonment: House in the Forest, Hunter and Son, Handless Maiden Oppression: Bluebeard, Gilgamesh, Handless Maiden
Betrayal: House in the Forest, The Golden Bird, Shape-Changer Male initiation: Hunter and Son, Iron John, Parsifal Abuse/victim: Bluebeard, Handless Maiden, Furball Abuse/perpetrator: Bluebeard, Furball, Gilgamesh This gave me a total of ten different stories with five of the stories containing more than one of his problem theme areas. Bluebeard and Handless Maiden were common to three of the problem theme areas, House in the Forest, Hunter and Son, Gilgamesh, and Furball were common to two of the problem theme areas. Stories with more than one problem theme support and reinforce each other by their commonality. This overlap in themes makes them excellent opening stories because they touch on a number of issues.
Selecting and Sequencing the Stories Story selection is now a matter of choosing the story with the most impact from the list of stories developed in step three. The first story, whether it is the only story you tell the child or it is first in a series, should identify with the child’s situation and communicate a sense of understanding and empathy for the child. It should communicate, “I understand what is happening to you and how you feel.” This way, the storytelling session begins with a connection between the storyteller, the child, and the story itself. When developing a series of stories, the ones that follow the first story should reiterate some of the themes from the preceding story. They should also address the next theme on the list of prioritized problem themes made in step three. If there is only one problem theme, the stories can follow the sequence laid out in the problem theme list, or the storyteller may decide to tell the stories that mirror the child’s gender, cultural experience, or some other previously identified variable.
Raj - Step Four Step three for Raj identified ten stories to choose from five of which were good opening stories. I decided to develop a series of six stories to tell Raj and then evaluate his progress with him and his group home staff. I planned to stay in contact with his mother, as she could perhaps still be a source of information and in hopes that she might reconsider her position regarding Raj. I selected Hunter and Son as the first story in the series, although it was second in priority on the list from step three. However, it not only ranked high in two of his problem theme areas it also contained messages common to all of his problem areas. I also choose it because I felt it told Raj’s story more accurately than the other four stories and that it contained the most potent messages for Raj. Hunter and Son addressed Raj’s abuse and betrayal at the hands of his father and brother, his abandonment by all three family members, the oppression that he was under while growing up, and his leaving the family home. Hunter and Son is also a male initiatory tale, which addressed another of his problem theme areas-–lack of initiation.
The final scene in the story I felt clearly spelled out Raj’s present situation. In it, the son is required to choose to kill his godfather (chief) and go back to living in his father’s world, or kill his father and continue on the new path he had chosen. I felt Raj would either continue functioning as his father and brother had, or he would have to choose a new way of doing things. This would require some role modelling from a healthy male adult or a number of adults. This story mirrored Raj’s situation, expressed the seriousness of it, and communicated to him a healthy solution. I decided to use Bluebeard as the second story and Gilgamesh as story number three in Raj’s treatment program because they addressed Raj’s other problem themes and because they reinforced the messages conveyed by the first story. The fourth story I selected was Parsifal because it reflected the problem themes from the other three stories. It also tells of a boy who is immature and grows to be a mature man.
The fifth story I chose was Handless Maiden. It not only reflected the messages from the other stories and addressed four of Raj’s five other problem theme areas, it also communicated to the feminine aspects of Raj’s character which he would need to rely on as his treatment program progressed. I chose to end Raj’s program with the story Iron John. It addressed some of his problem theme areas and reinforced the messages contained in the other five stories. The story is also another male initiatory story with the message that has been consistent throughout Raj’s treatment which is, “You need to connect with a healthy male role model(s) who will help you change your ways. You can do it. It will require work and suffering. The rewards are great.” And so far, this seems to be the case. Raj is now 16 years old and functioning well in a foster home.
Matching Suitability and Style Some children are able to lie quietly, completely relaxed, and use their capacity for imagery to imagine that the stories are happening right before their eyes. Some children can sit and listen for short periods of time and benefit, to some degree, from therapeutic storytelling. Other children do not like to listen to stories at all for a variety of reasons they may make them feel uncomfortable, they are unable to sit quietly to listen to them or they may wish to do other things while listening. For convenience, I have simply labelled these three different types as: 
The Responsive Child
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The Semi-Responsive Child
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The Non-Responsive Child
Responsive Child
Appears Able To Relax
Can Attend for 20 minutes
Appears to Feel Comfortable/Safe in Milieu
Use Standard Storytelling Method
Semi-Responsive Child
Able To Relax With Assistance
Can Attend for 10 minutes
May Appear Unsure of Safety
Use Modified Storytelling Method Brief Relaxation Three Short Stories Use More Animation in Voice
Tone & Gestures
Work Towards Increasing Attention Span
Non-Responsive Child
Difficulty Relaxing & Attending
May Be Concerned with Safety
Storytelling as An Aside While Playing or Drawing Three Brief Stories or Anecdotes Work Towards Increasing Attention Span