Training

Setting Up Therapeutic Storywriting Groups with pupils aged 7-12 years

Target group: SEN teachers, SENCOs, educational psychologists, school counsellors and learning mentors

"It’s for people who may have had a few problems and need someone to talk to. You can write stories and talk about problems but don’t have to say it is you." (Tanya 10 yrs)

The training is a progressive programme and participants need to make a commitment to attend all three days. The aim of the course is to support educational professionals to set up therapeutic storywriting groups in their own schools. These groups should consist of 4-6 children and run weekly for 8-10 weeks with each session lasting about 45 minutes.

Day 1

Introduction to Therapeutic Storywriting
The significance of story metaphor
Setting up a Therapeutic Storywriting group
Ways into story
Interpretation within the metaphor
The teacher’s story

Day 2

Characters as a projection of subpersonalities
Containment of anxiety for thinking to take place
Receiving the child’s story
Active listening and reflection of children’s stories
Using choice points in the teacher’s story to support emotional literacy discussion
Discussion of points arising from teachers’ groups

Day 3

What is emotional literacy?
Setting stories in fantasy or external reality
Addressing specific issues through the teacher’s story
The group dynamic & boundaries
Liaison and reporting to other professionals
Discussion of points arising from teachers’ groups

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