ABSTRACT
Using fictional stories with adults in group and individual counseling sessions facilitates exploration of difficult topics in a safe and nonthreatening way. These stories deepen awareness and increase problem solving skills. This article describes how fictional stories can be used by counselors with adult clients. It also illustrates strategies for their appropriate selection and use, and it provides guidelines for considerations of culture, story endings, timing of delivery, processing questions, and integration with the counselor's theoretical orientation. Finally, the article recommends free, respected, online resources for counselors using fictional stories with adult clients.
Notes
Aesop (n.d.). The little boy who cried wolf.
Andersen, H. C. (n.d.). The ugly duckling.