Read the detailed description of Quest's Program Details!
Framing the narrative can be a critical tool to use to process and bring understanding to a situation. As a collective group, this past year and a half requires effort to understand what people have experienced, how to conceptualize this experience and then use this experience to have new levels of growth and self-understanding. This is true for most people currently, but I would argue is incredibly important for children with attention, learning and social issues. As many children in these categories struggle with language pragmatics it becomes even more crucial to assist children with special needs to understand their experiences, perseverance they have demonstrated and frame how their unique strengths are setting them up for future successes.
Narrative therapy is a form of treatment that includes key principles including [1]:
-Interpretation of experience is done through language
-Individuals can have different realities of the same experience
-Narrative can help us make sense of our experiences
-Interactions with others impacts how we experience reality
Narrative therapy also capitalizes on the question “What is your story?” and our storytelling tendencies. “The goal is to uncover opportunities for growth and development, find meaning, and understand ourselves better.
We use stories to inform others, connect over shared experiences, say when we feel wronged, and even to sort out our thoughts and feelings. Stories organize our thoughts, help us find meaning and purpose, and establish our identity in a confusing and sometimes lonely world. Thus, it is important to realize what stories we are telling ourselves, and others, when we talk about our lives.” [2]
i believe that the current environment has created a rich opportunity to use narratives to help children understand the past year and a half, but also how they can use their values, strengths, demonstrations of resiliency to move forward with a new level of understanding and progress. I like to think of our kids as hero’s on their own hero’s journey because as like all great heroes our kids have inherent strengths, experience great adversity and challenges and can carry knowledge of their experiences with them to have a great story.
Strategies that can be used to help children identify aspects of their own hero’s journey:
-Help children identify what a hero’s journey looks like. This can be from examining children’s favorite book, movie and video game characters and discussing real life role models. Breaking down different parts of a hero’s journey from character attributes, emotional responses, challenges and adversity faced, ways the character has overcome challenges, etc.
-Use metaphors to help kids further process complicated experiences
-Assist children in identifying their own hero’s journey by helping label personal strengths, resiliency, perseverance, values and problem solving skills
-Focus on how their story is just being written, planting hope and direction regarding where they can go from here. The image I get is either of a book with many empty pages or chapters just waiting to be filled or the promise of a great sequel to their first part of an epic tale of adventure.
-Children with attention, learning and social issues may benefit from a multisensory hands-on approach to experiencing their hero’s journey story.
Now is a great time to reflect on what has been helpful to children and shape the next steps. This could mean clear discussions and opportunities for reflection as children move into the summer. Discussing ways that your child and your family has dealt with adversity, was able to pivot, be flexible and problem solve should be examined as their is no greater teacher than experience. Good luck as you continue on your hero’s journey!
[1] Clarke, J. What is narrative therapy? https://www.verywellmind.com/narrative-therapy-4172956 Updated 5/4/21
[2] Ackerman, C. 19 Narrative therapy techniques, interventions and worksheets. https://positivepsychology.com/narrative-therapy/