Contrast. “Disaster” – “Strong clothing”

Stories for forming confidence in oneself.
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When is it needed?

• child is anxious;
• child does not see own future;
• child devalues self and others;

Why is it needed?

• to find out anxious thoughts of child;
• possibility to see self, own thoughts and actions from side;
• to teach child to think critically;
• to increase self-esteem of child;

Themes for stories of self-beliefs

• about wishes and possibilities;
• worldview and life goal;
• joy of life as meaning of life;
• how to find solution.

Creating traumatic therapeutic stories for forming confidence in oneself requires special attention to several key aspects:

1. Positive management of the hero:
   The main hero of the story must have the possibility to develop and demonstrate positive changes in his perception of himself and his abilities. This may include discovering new skills, overcoming obstacles, or achieving important accomplishments.

2. Support of self-determination:
   The hero must have the possibility to independently choose the path forward and make important decisions. This helps the child understand that he can influence his life and achieve his goals.

3. Identification with the hero:
   It is important that the child can identify himself with the main hero of the story. This may include similarity in character, interests, or even physical traits, which allows the child to more easily imagine himself in the role of the hero.

4. Gradual development process:
   The development of self-confidence must be gradual and consistent. The hero may begin with small challenges and gradually move to more complex tasks, which helps the child feel progress and growth.

5. Realistic obstacles and solutions:
   The story must include realistic obstacles that the hero must overcome. It is important to show how the hero uses his strengths, skills, and support of others to achieve success.

6. Positive result:
   The ending of the story must be positive, where the hero achieves his goal or finds a way to reconcile with his feelings and experience. This promotes the formation of confidence in oneself and positive well-being.

The general goal of such stories is to create a positive, supportive environment where the child can feel stronger and more confident in himself, and also learn strategies to overcome internal difficulties and external challenges.

When creating therapeutic stories for the formation of confidence in oneself, various difficulties may arise, among which:

1. Inadequate identification with the hero:
   Some children may experience difficulties identifying themselves with the main hero of the story. This may occur due to insufficient similarity of characters or situations faced by the hero.

2. Excessive use of cognitive distortions:
   In stories, excessive cognitive distortions may appear, when the hero is perceived as hopeless or powerless in every situation. This may reinforce negative well-being instead of supporting the development of self-confidence.

3. Insufficient development of the hero:
   The story may be too superficial or not reveal sufficient depth of the hero’s development, which does not give children the opportunity to well understand the process of forming self-confidence.

4. Absence of positive solutions:
   If the story does not contain positive solutions or successful strategies for overcoming difficulties, it may undermine the child’s attempts to strengthen self-confidence.

5. Underestimation of sensitivity to the topic:
   When creating a therapeutic story, it is important to take into account the child’s sensitivity to the topic and provide a safe and supportive environment. Improper handling of this may lead to further stress or insecurity.

6. Insufficient attention to individual needs:
   Every child is unique, so it is important to adapt the therapeutic story to his specific needs, taking into account character traits, age characteristics, and level of development.

Development of self-confidence through therapeutic stories requires patience, attention to detail, and understanding of the unique needs of each child. This helps to create an effective tool for increasing self-esteem and positive well-being.

Here are several topics for therapeutic stories about self-beliefs that may be useful for children:

1. Overcoming fear or insecurity:
   The main hero of the story may face fear or insecurity and try to overcome these obstacles.

2. Development of positive thinking:
   The story may show how the main hero learns to think positively and believe in himself.

3. Self-acceptance and self-love:
   The story can explore how the main hero learns to accept himself as he/she is and to love himself.

4. Victories through self-confidence:
   A story about achieving a goal or success thanks to faith in one’s strengths and abilities.

5. Resilience in difficult situations:
   A story about how the main hero remains calm and confident during challenges and difficulties.

6. Development of personal qualities:
   A story about how the main hero learns to develop his strengths and abilities.

7. Realization of one’s values:
   A story showing how the main hero identifies his personal values and sticks to them despite pressure or external circumstances.

8. Self-control and emotional stability:
   A story demonstrating how the main hero manages his emotions and learns to control himself in different situations.

These topics can serve as a basis for creating stories that promote the development of positive self-belief and support the child’s psychological well-being.

Hero > current situation > what could happened (cognitive distortions) > the difference

Step I. Event

Step II. Hero and current situation

Step III. What catastrophic could happen (cognitive distortion)

Step IV. Ideal solution

Step V. Probable variant. The difference

Cognitive catastrophic distortions are a way of thinking when a child exaggerates the negative aspects of situations or their own abilities, which can lead to stress and worsened well-being. Here are some examples of such distortions:

1. Black-and-white thinking:
   The child sees the world in “all or nothing” terms. For example, she thinks: “I made a mistake, so I can’t do anything at all.”

2. Magnification:
   The child exaggerates the negative consequences or threats in a situation. For instance, she may think: “I didn’t win the game, so everyone will think I’m worthless.”

3. Filtering out positive evidence:
   The child ignores the positive aspects of a situation and focuses only on the negative. For example, she may overlook compliments and focus only on criticism.

4. Emotional reasoning:
   The child believes that their emotions automatically reflect objective reality. For example, she may think: “I feel sad, so everything went wrong.”

5. Personalization:
   The child believes that everything happening around is caused by their personal traits. For example, she may believe that all her friends got upset because of her mistake.

These cognitive distortions can complicate a child’s life, increasing anxiety and stress levels. It is important to help the child understand and deal with such thinking errors, supporting positive well-being and the development of a healthy mindset.

Step I. Event

Once upon a time in the forest lived a cheerful squirrel named Victor. He loved collecting nuts and playing with his friends.

Step II. The Hero and the Current Situation

This morning, Victor collected a lot of nuts and went to play with his friends. They were happily playing tag and jumping on branches.

Step III. What Catastrophic Could Happen (Cognitive Distortion)

But suddenly, Victor heard a noise. He guessed it might be a wolf that came to eat their nuts. Victor started imagining how the wolf would tear apart his supplies and leave him with nothing.

Step IV. Ideal Solution

Then Victor decided to gather all his friends, and together they began to guard their nuts from the wolf. They created a plan and carried it out together to protect their supplies.

Step V. Likely Outcome. Difference.

It turned out that the loud noise came from falling big branches. In reality, there was no wolf, and Victor’s and his friends’ nuts were untouched. They were happy they had managed to overcome their fear and protect their well-being.

This simple scenario demonstrates how a child may perceive danger due to a cognitive distortion (imagination of the wolf), and then find a solution and carry it out with friends, which leads to a positive conclusion (there was no wolf, and the nuts remained safe).

A more realistic version of a therapeutic story:

Step I. Event

Yesterday after school, Max went to the park to play with his friends. They were going to play football.

Step II. Hero and situation now

Max was happily playing football with his friends. They were halfway through the game when Max heard a loud sound from the bushes. At first, he thought it might be a wolf that had come to the park.

Step III. What catastrophic could happen (cognitive distortion)

Max imagined the wolf running out of the bushes and starting to chase them, trying to take the ball and ruin their game. He began to feel very scared that they would lose the ball and wouldn’t be able to finish the game.

Step IV. Ideal solution

Max firmly grabbed the hands of two of his friends and walked toward the bushes to make sure there was no wolf. His friends were also scared, but together they agreed that they needed to try to deal with the situation.

Step V. Probable variant. Difference.

It turned out that the noise came from a random firework explosion in the neighboring park. Fortunately, there was no wolf, and they continued their game without interruptions. Max and his friends realized that sometimes the idea of danger might be imagined, and it’s important to know how to look for solutions together to cope with fear and stay calm.