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Tools of the Trade: The 'All About Me' Map
Working with children and their families is a very stimulating and rewarding experience. At the Quirky Kid Clinic, we embrace the uniqueness each child brings to our clinic and ensure all treatment and intervention is tailored to match the needs of each family. As clinicians, we use a wide variety of techniques and I'd like to share one with you.
The 'All About Me' Map
Engagement is a foundational and fundamental part of treatment. As clinicians, we know how important it is to build engagement with a child before more formal therapeutic work begins. Research tells us that there is a significant positive relationship between the therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes (Lambert & Barley, 2001).
My first session with a child is always about engagement, hearing all about them, the things they love, the important people in their life and the things they would like some help changing. Children often find it difficult to talk with a stranger in the first session and that is why we use our paper and textas to draw a special Map, all about them.
This activity typically provides enough space for children to be open and engaged, as children focus on drawing and writing, with no pressure to make eye contact with the clinician, who is positioned alongside the child and offers assistance with writing if the child requires.
How it's done:
The Map typically starts with the child being asked to draw a circle in the middle of a big piece of butcher's paper and then to write their name and age in the middle.
From there, the child can draw a map, full of mountains, oceans, or all the things they love or places they don’t love so much, with each used as a discussion point for the clinician. Remember to be curious! General areas that could be covered include things that the child enjoys, extracurricular activities, school, friendship connections and supports.
Some questions I ask to help children reflect upon what they enjoy (and to add to their map) include:
- If it were raining outside and you had to stay indoors all day, but you could choose to do anything you liked, what would you choose?
- If it were a mum day, what would you and mum choose to do together?
- Who do you hang out within the playground, what do you do?
- Is there anything important that I haven't asked you about that needs to go on your map?
After we have completed all the things that the child enjoys or things that are going well, we might draw some waves or special areas that the child chooses, to include the things that the child would like some help with.
Questions I ask around are:
- Are there things that you might worry about, what about at school, home, with others/friends?
- What sorts of things might make you feel angry?
- Do you ever feel sad? What about?
- If you lived in a perfect world, what sorts of things would have to change to make it perfect?
This activity is also helpful in assessing things from the child’s perspective, garnering the child’s level of insight, assessing whether the child’s goals align with the parental goals for treatment, allowing the child time to express the things they might be concerned with and offers hope to the child that you understand them and can support them.
Our Tell Me A Story Cards are a great addition to this activity.
Further Reading
BriteChild® by Quirky Kid: Expert Child Psychology Care, Wherever You Are
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