From: Dr
Eric Miller eric@storytellinginstitute.org www.storytellinginstitute.org "16 Notes
Regarding a Method of Coaching and
Counselling, Using Aspects of Storytelling Therapy" ____ ____
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____ 1 The way we narrate our lives shapes what we become. One
becomes the story one tells. ____ ____
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____ 2 Two recommended initial questions for a client are, Please tell me the story of your life. Please tell me about any challenging experiences you may have
been having recently. ____ ____
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____ 3 Regarding
a client's current Personal life and/or Professional life -- A) What
is one happy with? What
does one want to continue, build upon, and increase? How
might one plan to do so? B) What
is one unhappy with? What
might one like to change? How
might one plan to do so? ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 4 Encourage the client to consider possible
ways the client's earlier life may be affecting the client's present and
future. That
is, one could ask the client, "May anything you have experienced in the
past (and your reactions to those things) possibly be negatively affecting anything
in the present, including your own feelings, thoughts, and
behaviours?" ____ ____
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____ 5 Two methods (which could be used
simultaneously): One could assist the client to, A) Increase awareness about what one has
experienced in the past and ways one has responded. (This is an internal method.) B) Compose an action-plan to achieve
goals. (This is an external method.) ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 6 Feelings
of self-worth, meaningfulness, and motivation to move forward in life, could
be boosted by awareness of ways one has assisted and been kind to others --
and ways one might do these things in the future. Thus,
one might make lists of A)
Ways one has helped people in the past. B)
Times people have expressed gratefulness to one for what one has done for
them. ____ ____
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____ 7 One
might make lists of specific situations that have brought depression and
anxiety on in one. Do
any metaphors come to mind in relation to the terms, "depression"
and "anxiety"? ____ ____
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____ 8 Feelings
of wellness tend to increase when one feels in control of as many aspects of
one's life as possible. In
what areas of one's life does one, and could one -- A)
Do a little bit of something each day, step by step. "Slow and steady wins the race". B)
Accumulate (knowledge, experiences, achievements, writings, etc). C)
Store things in organised ways. D)
Access and apply stored material conveniently. ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 9 Present
to a client the concepts of "Framing" and "Re-framing". Framing
refers to how one looks at things. A
question could be asked in a variety of ways. A
statement could be made in a variety of ways. For
examples: Two
ways to frame a question are: A)
What makes one happy? B)
What makes one feel good? (This could
refer to the 5 senses.) "Is
the glass half empty, or half full?" -- 'half
empty' is a negative framing, and
'half full' is a positive framing. ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 10 Some
people may want to change aspects of their lives, but they A)
may not know how, B)
may be afraid to do so, etc ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 11 Identify
one's Life/Core Values. Does
one's current life match one's
Life/Core Values? ____ ____
____ ____ ____
____ 12 One
may need to change one's priorities. ____ ____
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____ 13 People
who seek out and engage in Counselling may include, A)
People who want to succeed further, whether at work or in love. They are sometimes held back, due to fear,
timidity, procrastination, or other reasons. B)
People who feel stressed out, often by their work. Some want to spend more time with members
of their family. Others want to
downshift and lead a simpler life. C)
People who feel something is lacking in their life, whether a community or
just time for themselves. ____ ____
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____ 14 Helping a client
discover and confirm the client's direction in life What
does one want to do? --- Where
does one want to go? --- What
does one want to make? Getting there Incremental
-- step by step. --- Accumulate. --- Do
a little bit of it each day. --- It
may do a person good to feel a calm, relaxed, and satisfied sense of
ownership regarding what one has gathered and achieved. --- The
ways one stores things should be organised. --- The
ways one accesses things should be convenient. --- Building,
growing, and developing. --- Document
(write about) one's building, growing, and developing. --- Keep
track of what one has gathered and achieved. --- Try
to not go around in circles. --- Do
not be like a leaf being swept around by the wind. --- Do
not try to invent the wheel all over again. --- Independence. --- Self-reliance. --- Control
-- both self-control, and control of elements in one's environment. --- Autonomy
-- one can stand on one's own two feet. --- Agency
(power) -- one has abilities and resources, and can act on one's own behalf. ____ ____
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____ 15 What
skills are one using when one feels most engaged? ____ ____
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____ 16 Re-telling
stories about one's own experiences, projected onto a 3rd person character
(he, she, or it) could give one a helpful sense of distance from one's
experiences. This
change of perspective could help one to see things in new ways, that is, to
be more aware of various ways in which things could be seen. <complete>
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