Once Upon a Time: Fairy tale and Story-writing therapy when working with children and adults

Stories allow children and adults alike “to explore who they are and how they feel or what they yearn for saying within the protected word of the imaginary" (Waters, 2004; p.1)

Let us step on Aladdin's carpet and travel together to the realm of fairy tales; on the way exploring the therapeutic use of fairy tales through specific experiential activities that we will be embarking on.

Once upon a time …stories were created. Some fairy tales have accompanied us during our childhood, helping us express meaningful life experiences and feelings. Perhaps it is time to add a chapter to these fairy tales or to write a new fairy tale altogether.

Story-writing can provide us with the opportunity to re-story or reframe our personal experience (Waters, 2004). The actual act of writing or telling our stories is therapeutic within itself. The narrative mode in stories is mainly associated with right-brain activity “using visual, intuitive and imaginary functions" (Waters, 2004, p.3). Therefore, fairy tales and story-writing can be a very creative and useful tool when working with both children and adults who might find it hard to find the words to talk about painful or traumatic experiences they might have experienced.

The workshop’s aim is two-fold: it supports both the personal and professional development of the practitioner. We will have the opportunity to work in a reflexive manner both individually and with our peers, practising some creative skills that support story-writing. We will have the opportunity to understand how we can use fairy tales in our work. This workshop welcomes multi-disciplinary practitioners in well-being, therapeutic professions and the educational field or the creative arts. These stories can be created and incorporated into the work of therapists, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, guidance teachers, doctors, teachers, child and youth care workers, support workers, speech therapists and others. Anyone who is interested do reach out. These right-brain interventions can also be used in supervision and staff support groups or other settings where we support the personal and professional development of professionals. So, this workshop might be of interest also to those of you who supervise or support your colleagues. Each practitioner can find in the fairy tales the resource which helps him resolve his/her professional tasks (Vackhov, 2007).

To be continued!

Fee 80€ Full Fee

70€ Early bird fee if you pay by  the 3rd July 2021

Payment Options:

Payment on Revolut

or Mobile Banking: 00356 99447307

Paypal elainemarygrech@gmail.com (If using PayPal please add 5 euro to the amount to cover the PayPal Fee).

Online Bank Transfer

SWIFT Code: VALLMTMT IBAN: MT60VALL22013000000040013125068

Booking and Payment Procedure:

1. Booking through the website: https://www.drelainegrechpsychotherapist.com/upcoming-events

and click Register Now on the event of your choice.

2. How to secure your payment:

• Payment needs to take place within 24 hours otherwise your registration will not be secured.

• Write your name and the workshop’s title when processing the payment so that payment can be identified.

• Email confirmation of payment on elainemarygrech@gmail.com so that I can confirm your booking: Name and Surname, Workshop Title and Date, Method of Payment chosen and email address for correspondence regarding the workshop.

3. Participants will receive a receipt of payment on the email provided and will receive a certificate of attendance after completing the workshop.

4. Please note that it is on a first come first served basis and therefore your booking can only be confirmed after receiving payment and registration.

5. The payment is non-refundable unless due to the rare eventuality of the workshop being cancelled by the facilitator if the minimum number is not reached.

6.  Around a week before the workshop, you will receive an email with the zoom link and some ideas on how to prepare yourself for the training.

Looking forward to our shared space.

Many blessings

Dr Elaine Grech