Therapeutic storytelling is a powerful, yet gentle and non-intrusive, way of inviting people to see their problems from a different perspective, package hard-to-hear feedback and ideas in a non-threatening way that doesn’t trigger defensiveness, and help people break free from inertia and a sense of helplessness. It also adds a tremendous sense of freshness to the helper’s work because it helps them add more of their creativity and personality to their work.
The approach to therapeutic storytelling taught in this seminar is based on the work of Dr. Milton Erickson, who was renowned for his ability to use hypnosis, storytelling, and “curiosity-inducing homework assignments” to help clients find their own unique answers to their problems. His work was strengths-based long before the strengths-based movement and positive psychology had been born.
Instructor David Lee has studied with most of Dr. Erickson’s students, including Ernest Rossi, Jeffrey Zeig, Bill O’Hanlon, and Stephen and Carol Lankton. He has taught hypnotherapy and therapeutic storytelling throughout North America and Australia.
Note: This seminar focuses on helping practitioners and educators become more effective storytellers and add storytelling to their toolkits. It does not focus on guiding clients or students in the telling of their stories.
Participants will be able to:
6.0 Category A Continuing Education hours for licensure have been applied for through NASW-NH.
Participants will be able to:
David Lee, the founder of HumanNature@Work, works with employers who want to improve employee engagement, productivity, and customer service. He has worked with organizations and presented at conferences both domestically and abroad.
An internationally recognized thought leader in the field of employee engagement and performance, he is the author of over 150 articles and book chapters that have been published in trade journals and books in the US, Europe, India, Australia, and China
He is also the author of Dealing with a Difficult Co-Worker and Powerful Storytelling Techniques for Trainers (published by ASTD Press).
In addition to his research and work with both struggling and “best in class” organizations, David Lee’s work draws from a wide range of scientific disciplines including cognitive neuroscience, anthropology, psychoneuroimmunology, trauma and resilience research, and paleopsychology.
Taking this research which typically doesn’t find its way into the business world, David translates these principles of human nature into practical leadership and managerial strategies that optimize employee performance.
To capture the impact understanding human nature makes, David borrows from the popular TV show The Dog Whisperer, and explains “Understanding human nature helps you become a People Whisperer, and by doing so, dramatically improves your ability to get the best results from others (and yourself).”
Recently, his work on what makes organizations resilient and employees perform at their best has focused on the central role productive relationships and productive conversations have on these outcomes, with this being the take away message:
“Every better business result you desire requires having a better conversation.”
