Therapeutic Storytelling

Therapeutic Storytelling 

Addressing Challenging Behaviour and Challenging Situations through the Medium of Story 
Susan Perrow 

12.5 hours Online Training – 5 x 2.5 hour sessions 

Dates: 13/14/15/28/29 October

Times: (EST-Sydney): 4.00 pm – 6.30 pm

Cost: AUS $350 ($50 deposit required to secure place; balance to be paid by Sept 13th 2025)

In this 12.5 hour training, examples, ideas and techniques for writing healing 
(‘medicinal’) stories will be shared, and the therapeutic use of metaphor explored.  With the support of a story-making framework, the participants will be guided to create their own stories addressing a range of challenging behaviours & situations …. stories to soothe, help, motivate, give hope and build resilience (with children, teens & adults).
 

SUSAN PERROW (M. ED) ……… Susan is an author, storyteller, parent educator and teacher trainer, with twenty years teaching experience in Australia and Africa. In 2000 she developed the first course on Storytelling for an Australian University (S.C.U.). and completed her Masters Research on Storytelling in a cross-cultural situation (post-apartheid South Africa). Today her time is spent writing, consulting with teachers, parents and therapists, and running seminars on story therapy. She travels nationally and internationally, plus offers different forms of online training.  Susan has four resource books, ‘Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour’, ‘Therapeutic Storytelling’, ‘An A-Z Collection of Behaviour Tales’ and ‘Stories to Light the Night: A Grief and Loss Collection for Children, Families and Communities’. All published by Hawthorn Press, UK, these have since been translated into many languages. For testimonials and book information, refer to www.susanperrow.com 

Bookings: E:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; +M:+61-413734125

TOPICS COVERED IN 12.5 HOUR ONLINE TRAINING

Opening session - Welcome and Introductions / Expectations and Guidelines

History and cultural value of storytelling 

Imagination as a ‘way of knowing’ 

Introducing therapeutic (healing) stories: 

•    Definition and story-making framework
•    Share and deconstruct examples
•    Helping and obstacle metaphors
•    ‘Movement’ in Story Journeys
•    Group work: deconstruct a sample story

Expansion on the following 11 points/tips for writing Therapeutic Stories:

1.    Have a ‘helping’ not ‘healing’ intention
2.    Listen / Observe / Research
3.    “Story seeds” – often found in the description of the challenge
4.    Consider ‘humour’ – but be cautious
5.    Don’t move too quickly from problem to resolution / beware of clutter
6.    Shifts / transitions / turning points
7.    Find ways to nourish and strengthen your imagination
8.    Random ‘playing’ with story journeys using story cards
9.    Use metaphor mind maps to help explore ideas
10.     Clarify the resolution
11.     Sketch your way into metaphor and journey ideas

At the end of session three, each participant will be asked to identify a challenging behaviour/situation for a therapeutic story and then paired with a partner for the homework. 

The pairs will work together to write a therapeutic story for a chosen theme, then will need to email this to Susan at least 48 hours before the fourth session so she has time to read it before the group discussion. 

Final Session (s) - Pairs present their stories / Comments / Discussion / Q and A / Conclusion 

TEACHING METHODS 

•    Max 12 participants in each training – English only
•    Introductory one-hour online talk (mandatory to listen to before the training)
•    Required pre-reading: 26-page workbook with theory notes and story examples
•    Small group work using break out rooms.
•    Q and A – both direct and using chat box
•    Interactive discussions using whiteboard.