The Healing Heart for Families: Storytelling to Encourage Caring and Healthy Families

The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degra-dation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of more than 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing. The Healing Heart ~ Communities focuses on community-building, with sections on youth, violence prevention, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction, racism, elders, culture, environmental protection, homelessness, and community development. Allison Cox is a therapist and Prevention Specialist, in Tacoma, Washington, with 20 years experience as a professional storyteller, and is a founder of the Healing Story Alliance—part of the National Storytelling Network. David Albert is a storyteller, writer, and Senior Planner and Policy Analyst with the Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and a contributor to Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope (New Society, 2002). Stories and narratives aimed at helping families work through an array of subjects like health, illness, grief, adoption, sexual identity, and school.The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse).The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of more than 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect.The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing. The Healing Heart ~ Communities focuses on community-building, with sections on youth, violence prevention, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction, racism, elders, culture, environmental protection, homelessness, and community development.Praise for The Healing Heart ~ Families“Both children and adults, sick or well, need the embrace of soulful storytelling. They need to witness and be witnessed, for it is in this state that healing occurs.... If newscasters were to read aloud each night to their listeners for 1,001 nights one of the stories from this treasury, we would all be healed and lose our fear, recapturing real security in our homeland.” —N. Michael Murphy, MD, author of The Wisdom of Dying“An extraordinary work.... Hit the bulls eye by providing both process and practice. Thought provoking and insightful theory is intertwined with appropriate stories for direct application. It makes clear that story can be a powerful catalyst for change, giving eloquent voice to what many of us have known for some time but have been unable to express. What a gift for those who work with families!” —Elizabeth Ellis, co-author of Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking about Difficult Stories Packed with folk tales, personal stories, exercises, games, songs, and lessons learned, The Healing Heart for Families provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, healthful behaviors, self-esteem, and mutual respect. This volume provides living models of storytelling being used to promote health and prevent disease; encourage children with medical problems; energize classrooms; help individuals overcome grief; aid in building adoptive families; deconstruct prejudice; and develop empathy. The Healing Heart for Families is designed as a companion volume with The Healing Heart for Communities. Taken together, these two volumes are a collective effort reflecting the wisdom of over 66 storytellers, healing and human service professionals, writers, and educators on six continents who together make storytelling accessible to individuals, families, and communities. Cover......Page 1 Advance Praise......Page 2 Half Title Page......Page 4 Title Page......Page 6 Publication Data......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Foreword......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Healing Through Story......Page 18 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention......Page 36 Children with Medical Problems Reclaim Their Lives......Page 72 Stories in the Hospital and Beyond......Page 92 Coping with Grief......Page 108 Spiritual Healing......Page 124 Teach Your Children Well......Page 142 Early Childhood Interventions......Page 158 Stories go to School......Page 170 Adopting Families......Page 186 Exploring Alternative Sexual Identities......Page 200 Deconstructing Prejudice and Developing Empathy......Page 212 Bibliography......Page 226 Author biographies and contact information......Page 246 Ecoaudit......Page 257