The use of narratives in preventive approaches

OSLO 1.NOVEMBER 2010:

Alec McCollin and Gunnar Eide

The Use of cartoon narratives in preventativeapproaches

• Introduction• The process: From Interview to Cartoon• Case study: When the girls Dad got sick• Case study 2: Martin • Do it yourself

• The girl and her friends

• once there was a girl who had two friends

• they were together all the time and had no time for others

• but one day both of the girls friends had an argument and wouldnt speak to each other

• so the girl was phoned up all the time - it was nice because she never felt alone!

• but suddenly all three of them had a big argument!

• it was terrible to not have anyone to hang out with

• but it was difficult for others to see how upset the girl was

• the girl decided that she should find new friends

• ... And she thought about joining the 'bully group'

• but did not do it!

• it was not easy - and sometimes the girl would sit in a cupboard and listen to music

• but she was’nt hiding!!

• the Girl's brother was surprised to discover that the girl had had a hard time with her friends!

• he had always thought she was good at finding friends

• the girl's father never doubted that the girl would find other good friends

• because she was someone you could count on

• and she was understanding and accepting

• she was in fact a very good friend

• the girl was also courageous and tough

• she decided to play football with the boys

• and she was good at that- because she had grown up in a family which consisted almost entirely of boys.

There once was a girl who lived at home with her mother in a small house in between the hills,next to the great forest.

The girl and the mother lived happily in the little house.

The reason they got on so well was that they were really good at solving problems together (because whether we like it or not,

small and big problems allways sneak into people's lives!)

When the girl came to live with her mother, they discovered many different kinds of problems - some the girl brought with her

when she arrived and some were already there(they belonged to the mother).

The girl and the mother discovered over the years that many of the small problems could be "agreed" away, many others

dissapeared as soon as they talked about them, and many became smaller or disappeared completely when the girl and the mother

got to know each other better.

The mother was very fond of the girl, and wanted the girl to be happy.

Although the mother was good at most things that mum’s need to be good at, and made sure the girl had a good place to live, and

that the girl had everything she needed in everyday life, there were some things the mother was not very good at, for example she

was not very good at comforting! - Even though she practiced.

The mother was also a bit worried that she was not always good at talking about feelings, especially talking about the feelings and

thoughts the girl might have about her father, so the mother asked a Welshman if he could come and help.

Because the mother wanted to be sure that the girl knew, that if she ever had anything she needed to talk about (something which

might for example have something to do feelings), then the mother would do everything she could to listen and understand. If she

did not understand properly, she would ask the Welshman to help her.

TREE OF LIFE: Roots of the tree, the ground, the trunk, the branches, leaves and fruits. Forest of life and storms of life.

Tree as metaphors for our lives. Telling stories in a way that can make you stronger and more hopeful for the future.

Sense of coherence:

A salutogenic factor.Focus onoptimism/future prospects and self

assesment.Meaningfullness-comprehensibility-

manageability