Therapy and counselling
How to read

Therapy and counselling

Counselling allows the person to talk about anything that they wish, including what has happened in their past. It will also focus on what thoughts they are currently having and how these might be making them feel worried or sad. For people with a learning disability it is possible to adapt the therapy process to match the person’s understanding or to help overcome problems in communication. Photographs or drawings are very useful in helping people to understand each other better.

A research study, ‘Bereavement interventions for people with learning disabilities’ (Hollins, Hubert and Dowling, Bereavement Care 22, 2003) has tried to answer the question ‘What helps a person with learning disabilities when someone close to them dies?’. The research found that counselling helps people to feel better. It was not enough to ask support workers and family carers to provide extra help and understanding.

How to read the stories

There is no right or wrong way to read the stories.

Some people are not used to reading stories. Start at the beginning and read the story in each picture. Encourage the reader to move through the pages at their own pace.
Encourage the person to tell the story in their own words. You will discover what they think is happening, what they already know, and how they feel. If you are using the pictures to help explain a procedure to someone, you may need to describe or clarify the actions being shown in each picture to help them understand. Try not to challenge the reader(s) or suggest their ideas are wrong.
Some pictures may be more difficult to understand. It can help to prompt the people you are supporting, for example:
• Who do you think that is?
• What is happening?
• How is he or she feeling?
• Do you feel like that? Has it happened to you/ your friend/ your family?
Allow people enough time to follow the pictures at their own pace. Allow time for discussion of each picture.
Some people may benefit from reading the larger story from which the extract has been taken. This will allow them to explore their feelings and experiences in more depth. To buy the complete book, follow the link to the bookshop that appears at the end of the story.