Setting Up Therapeutic Storywriting Groups Day 2 Presented

Setting Up Therapeutic Storywriting Groups Day 2 Presented by Dr Trisha Waters

Therapeutic Storywriting: Day 2 9. 30 -10. 50: Mindfulness, check-in & feedback from groups Feelings ladder Introduction to subpersonalities 10. 50 -11. 10: Coffee 11. 10 -1. 00: Working with subpersonalities in story writing 1. 00 -1. 45: Lunch 1. 45 -3. 30: Mindfulness exercise Containment of anxiety to facilitate thinking Active Listening and reflection of children’s stories Discussion of points arising from groups

Book references for Day 2 Waters, T (2004) Therapeutic Storywriting, London: David Fulton l Chapter 3: Subpersonalities and a Model of the Self l Chapter 7: Receiving the Child’s Story

Mindfulness Tuning

Check-in and feedback from groups l Name l Feelings l How is your group going?

Feelings ladder l Order feelings from ‘most comfortable’ to ‘least comfortable’ l Discuss l Avoid as a group the order judgemental references such as ‘positive’/‘negative’, good/bad

What are Subpersonalities? l Different discrete aspects of the self l Often have different needs and compete for attention l Each has a unique set of attributes l Unconscious subpersonalities cause problems

Working with Subpersonalities l The Self as Psychological Conductor has qualities of Awareness l Will l l Every subpersonality serves a purpose l Working with subpersonalities through: l Recognition l Identifying with l Integration l Disidentification

Exercise: Who am I? l l l Group is asked 10 questions Work in pairs Partner asks: “How did your response to the question change? ” Choose one subpersonality from your list and your partner asks: “What is your name? ” “When are you present? ” “What is your job? ” “What is your body posture” “How do you feel? ” “What do you want? ” “What else do you need? ” Reverse roles Repeat choosing a different subpersonality

Case Study: Nathaniel

Exercise: Recognition and identification with a subpersonality l Read through your child’s story l Find a character that may represent a significant subpersonality l Write down 5 or 6 open questions you might ask the child about this character?

From week 2 onwards l. Place new feeling words on the ladder l. Print out copies of one pupil’s story from last week and pupil reads it aloud to group. l. Each week teacher brings a new story opener l. Children choose to : take up the teacher’s suggestion or carry on with their current story

Exercise: Leading Mindfulness l Guide your partner to focus on: l sound in and outside the room l sensation in body beginning with feet l emotions experienced today l a word that best describes how they’re feeling at the moment l Partner gives feedback on : l Tone of voice l Pace l Emotional safety

Mindfulness Video l Video made by Trisha Waters for Young. Minds showing the Mindfulness exercise developed for Therapeutic Storywriting groups being used with the whole school l https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l. Gob u. BXCHBM

Bion: Containment of anxiety l Anxiety contained for thinking to take place l Containment by significant other l Empathic verbal reflection l BESDs and Speech &Language Difficulties

Active Listening is … l Focused listening l Non judgemental l Use of reflection, paraphrasing and summarising l Checking understanding l Use of non-verbal signs e. g. nodding

Active listening is not … l Having l Giving a conversation advice l Problem-solving l Saying ‘Oh I know exactly how you feel, that happened to me’ – even if it has!

Reflection and paraphrasing l Reflection repeats what has actually been said l Paraphrasing restates using your own words l Used for both content and feelings © 2014 Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting Ltd.

Content vs Feelings l Content is the actual topic that the person is describing – reflection/paraphrase is useful if there is a a lack of coherence l Feelings, both those explicitly or implicitly communicated, are acknowledged using reflection or paraphrase

Summarising l Draws together main points in a few statements l Helps clarify what has been said © 2014 Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting Ltd.

Active listening exercise l l l Work in 3 s –speaker, listener & observer Speaker talks about what they did yesterday. For the first 2 min listener reflects and mirrors the content. For the second 4 min listener reflects the feelings expressed. Begin response with one of the following: I wonder if you are feeling… I imagine you feel… You seem to be feeling… Perhaps you might be feeling. . . It sounds as if you are feeling… Summarise in no more than 2 sentences what has been said in the last 6 min Observer keeps time and facilitates brief feedback from listener, speaker and then themselves at end of session

Active Listening in Story · Reflecting/paraphrasing story theme or plot · Reflection of feelings of characters · Summarising story so far

Reflection of Story Events l Shows attention has been given to the story l Use of paraphrase rather than repetition l Use of teacher’s extending language l Express main points in clearer manner to help child see how plot is developing

Reflection of Feelings of Characters l Extends emotional vocabulary l Encourages child to focus on the emotional aspect of the character l Reflection needs to leave the final statement to the child e. g I wonder if she is feeling… I imagine he feels… He seems to be feeling… Perhaps he might be feeling. . . It sounds as if she might be feeling…

Summarising l Draws together main points in a few statements l Can be used for part or all of the story l Helps child link with last session l Helps clarify the plot for the child

Active Listening: Reflection of story content and feelings l Work in pairs on a pupil’s story Read story through twice pausing after every couple of sentences First use paraphrase to reflect content of story – focus on events Secondly, reflect feelings using the tentative openings Summarise story in no more than 2 sentences l Reverse roles using another pupil’s story l l

Exercise: Written Emotional Literacy Comments Using your child’s story write down: l 1 open question about a significant subpersonality character l 1 reflective (active listening) statement that focuses on the feelings of this character

Encouraging constructive feedback from the group l Self esteem = success (measured against peers) aspiration l Encourage pupils to say one thing they liked and possibly one thing that could be improved

Plenary: Receiving the Child’s Story · Open questions to identify a significant subpersonality character · Reflective ‘active listening’ statements · Encouraging constructive criticism from the group · Giving copies of one pupil’s story to the group for extra discussion each week · Typing out stories & making final published book

Next Session l l l Identifying story themes Written emotional literacy comments Metaphor set in fantasy or external reality Addressing the ending Assessment and referring on Structure of a therapeutic story N. B. Bring along children’s stories to work with

Further information, research & resources Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting: www. therapeuticstorywriting. com Online training manual: www. therapeuticstorywritingtraining. co. uk