Therapeutic Storytelling Intervention (TSI)
Brief Introduction
TSI is a life skills and life education process which was developed by Ron Phillips, M.F.T. Ron lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand where he runs Therapeutic Storytelling Intervention Ltd. Ron has an M.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and has been a teacher, lecturer and therapist for over 20 years working with people in a range of settings, including psychiatric environments.
Storytelling is an ancient art. The storyteller's stories passed down knowledge of culture, history and language from one generation to another. Today the oral tradition assumes less importance but is proving to be the breakthrough in TSI. The telling of stories to teenagers, with guided questioning, is touching them in ways traditional life skills education and therapeutic methods are not.
TSI relates to the book, "Gem of the First Water". The stories in "Gem" describe the adventures of a peer / hero in a mythical land. The boy's encounters mirror the struggles of adolescence and provide a blueprint for change.
"Gem of the First Water" makes overt the transition from childhood, through adolescence to adulthood. The stories use the imagery of fairytales to illustrate how the boy can, through the choices and decisions he makes, affect the outcomes of his travels through this metaphoric land.
"Gem of the First Water" can be enjoyed as a storybook, listened to as a story read, or experienced as a story told. It can be used with individuals or with groups, young or old. It addresses the sorts of issues each of us face and the choices we make during our lives. It relates most particularly to adolescence but is effective for children from 8 years to 80. For adults, parents, teachers, storytellers and children alike it provides a common language, a shared journeying and a non-threatening learning environment.
The unnamed boy in the story acts as a peer role model for the listeners, asking the same questions and sharing the same types of thinking and behaviour that many teenagers express. Through his adventures he discovers and offers a pattern or blueprint for them to emulate.
In New Zealand TSI has proven to be effective in many and varied environments. Users include parents, schoolteachers, police education officers, counsellors, social workers, psychologists, youth group leaders and mental health workers. It is used in situations where individuals exhibit consistent patterns of poor behaviour resulting in them causing significant disturbances in classrooms, in the community, or in families. It even has application in the corporate sector.
