Therapy Books and Stories (4.5 CE Hours)

*4.5 Continuing Education (CE) Clock Hour for Behavioral Health Professionals (Home Study Format)- 1 hour of the 4.5 is in ethics

Course Description:

This course will review information on using therapy books in clinical practice with families, youths, and children. Further, research and clinical experience on using written stories and therapy books will be reviewed. Skills are practiced on how to teach caregivers to use therapy books and “family story time” to process adverse stressors in an engaging and meaningful way. Considerations are given to different formats such telehealth or in-person work.

Families face considerable and unique challenges such as addiction, domestic violence, trauma, grief, community violence, and economic struggles. Unique challenges require tailored interventions that children’s therapy books can offer to meet the needs of the family and children.

Because of this, areas of focus will include the “Do and Don’t” of using therapy books, how to teach caregivers to use therapy books with their families, understanding risks, and going through a piece of example sessions using a therapy book with a child in three different one-on-one sessions. Books on caregiver addiction, grief, and building self-confidence are used as the examples. Clinical interventions and strategies for using written stories are discussed.

Leo DeBroeck is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and certified in Washington State, USA as a Child Mental Health Specialist that has written many award winning therapy books and short stories for families and children.

Course Objectives:

Workshop attendees can expect to:

• Objective 1) Learner will be able to articulate a method for measuring the success of an intervention.
• Objective 2) Learner will be able to apply one research-backed approach where using stories and therapy books can benefit clients.
• Objective 3) Learner will recognize and avoid potential pitfalls when utilizing stories and therapy books with clients.
• Objective 4) Learner will be able to utilize critical selection skills to choose and use a book matching the client's engagement and maturity level.
• Objective 5) Learner will be able to apply teaching strategies to guide caregivers in using stories in a healing way.
• Objective 6) Learner will recognize potential risks associated with using stories and children’s therapy books.
• Objective 7) Learner will be able to effectively utilize stories in a one-on-one therapy session and adapt it to the client’s specific needs.
• Objective 8) Learner will demonstrate the ability to process story endings effectively and apply Socratic questioning with clients.

Course Outline:

• Introductions and Disclaimers
• Definitions
  • Ethical Considerations
  • Cultural Considerations
  • Risks
  • Measurement tools
• Do’s and Don’ts
  • Time management
    • Using the entire session
    • Questions
    • Distractions and processing moments
    • Rushing stories
    • Skipping pages
  • Engagement
    • Maturity appropriate
    • Levels of focus
    • Leaving stories “lying around”
    • That story vs. My story
      • Avoiding trickery
      • Finding similarities and differences
  • Therapy books vs kids’ books
    • Showing not telling
    • Setting time aside
      • Resistance
      • Interruptions
    • Decompression stories after
  • Ending stories
    • Unclear endings
    • Questions throughout or at end
• How to teach caregivers
  • Underlying message
    • Avoid compartmentalizing
    • Using to open conversation
      • Keep the conversation going
      • As children mature so do questions
  • Addressing Fear
    • Processing anxieties
    • Using coping skills
    • Caregivers needing support
• Risk factors
  • Types of risk
    • What could go wrong
    • Weighing pros and cons
  • Research findings
• Example story
  • Caregiver addiction
  • Grief
  • Confidence
• Conclusion
  • The takeaway
  • References
  • Further readings