When a child avoids participating in co-creating a therapeutic story, it’s important to consider several aspects:

1. Understanding and Support:
   Find out why the child is avoiding participation. Perhaps they don’t feel comfortable, are worried, or just not ready to talk. It’s important to show empathy and support for their feelings.

2. Providing Choices:
   Offer the child a choice in how they wish to start the story. For example, allow them to choose the main character, setting, or plot beginning. This can help the child feel more in control and comfortable.

3. Promoting Comfort:
   Approach the storytelling process in a way that is convenient for the child. For instance, allow them to tell the story orally, through drawing, or using their favorite toys.

4. Gradual Involvement:
   If the child feels anxious, give them time to adapt to the idea. Start with simpler tasks or stories that do not require significant emotional involvement.

5. Positive Reinforcement:
   Praise the child for any effort or ideas, even if they are not yet ready to actively participate. Positive reinforcement can encourage them to try again.

6. Avoiding Coercion:
   Do not force the child to participate. This could lead to feelings of stress and further avoidance. Instead, try to create an environment where the child feels comfortable and interested.

7. Working with a Professional:
   If the child consistently avoids participating in therapeutic stories or other activities related to emotional development, consulting a psychologist or therapist might be necessary to identify the cause and find effective approaches.

Overall, the key to successfully creating a therapeutic story is to establish a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment where the child can feel confident and free to express their thoughts and feelings.

Therapeutic Story: How to Overcome Boredom

Step 1: Beginning of the Story
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Max. He was a cheerful and curious boy who always sought adventure. He had many friends at school, and they often played together in the yard after lessons.

Step 2: Onset of Boredom
But one day, something unpleasant happened. Max got sick and couldn’t go to school for a few days. He stayed home, lying in bed, feeling very sad. He was bored and lonely because he couldn’t play with his friends or visit his favorite school library.

Step 3: The Worst Moments of Boredom
On one of those days, when everyone was already at school, Max lay in his bed thinking that everything around him had become so boring and pointless. He felt sad and lonely because he couldn’t see his friends or study with them.

Step 4: What Max Does
Max then decided that he didn’t want to sit and be bored anymore. He started thinking about what he could do to lift his spirits. He asked his mom to bring him his favorite adventure book that he hadn’t read yet. He began reading this book and felt his imagination come alive again.

Step 5: Max’s Feelings
Afterward, Max felt a little better. Reading his favorite book helped him forget about boredom and sadness. He began to imagine himself alongside the book’s heroes, embarking on exciting journeys.

Step 6: Problem Solving
Max decided that although he couldn’t be with his friends right now, he could do many interesting things for himself. He began planning which books he still wanted to read and which new games he wanted to learn when he returned to school. He realized that boredom could be overcome by seeking new opportunities to satisfy his interests.

Conclusion
Max felt his mood lift again as he focused on what he could do right now to improve the situation. Reading and imagination helped him forget about boredom and once again feel the joy of life.

Alternative Story Structure

Daily happy moments not tied to success or achievements that need to be captured in a story because they are easy to lose.

• It was initially unpleasant.
• Then something happened.
• And the child was able to feel happy, free, and believe that they could be loved.

Features of Story Creation

• Try to create stories before bed (“goodnight stories”).
• Questions for the child before starting the story:
  • Did anything good happen to you today?
  • When were you satisfied with yourself today?

Attention!

• Too much good: Don’t exaggerate the child’s successes to avoid creating dependence on praise and success.

• There should be a clear boundary between good and bad.

• Your successful stories should not involve comparisons with others. The child may begin to think, “I’m the best, I’m better than…” if any event of the day involves victory over someone. There’s always someone better. It’s much more useful to teach the child to think: “I’m fine. I can do it. And if I try, I can achieve even more.”

• It’s not always necessary to celebrate a child’s good grade or success. Sometimes it’s enough to say: “I’m happy for you; I’m happy seeing how pleased you are; I’m happy together with you because you are happy and satisfied.” These words convey to the child not “I’m pleased with your success,” but “I’m pleased that you are happy.” This is a very important safeguard against forming a life position focused only on success, as well as a good protection against reproaches like: “For my parents/grandparents, my good grades are more important than me!”

• Too little good: Adults worry that their child lacks humility and modesty, and consistently and mercilessly remind the child of how much they still don’t know or can’t do.
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