ReJlecting
p uppetshows:
Evokingdromathrough
.
,morovrsoton
a.
T
Fete Brown
The Refleciing Puppet Show (afterJohannesenet aL, 1998)hasbecomea frequent
featureortoul famiJ.ytherapyworkshops.The airn of the'shows'is to offer chiidfriendly cominentsand ideasto involve children more fullyin the reflecting processes
'reflecting
of
teams'as originally developedby Tom Andersen.The showsaim to
'child-speak'rather
shift the reflectionsto
than the more common'adult-speak'of
refleciing conversations.Here I wiil briefly describesomeideason theoretical and
practicallevelsabout our use of theseshowswith children.
How we start the shows
At the beginningof the show,sometimes
the childrenhelpto wakeup the puppets
if theyareasleepin theirbagor perhaps
encourage
the shyonesto comeout ofthe
bag.Thisis partof 'warmingthe context'
beforethe showbegins.lt canalsocreatean
interesting
airof anticipation.
Communicationstyles
capacityto tolerateuncertaintyand to
respondto materialthat arisesin-themoment(Laughlin,2000).
AsJohannesen
ef
al. say"Theperformanceof theteamcontains
spontaneous
dialoguebetweenthepuppets,
and bearsevidence
ofwhattheteam had
obserued
behindthemirror"(p.125).
lf improvisation
iscombinedwith itscousin,
play,thisformsa powerfulapproachin the
shows.I try to combine'serious
play'from
narrative
therapywith ideasaboutimprovising
fromLaughlinandSchon(i987)who both,in
separate
ways,createa Iinkbetweencreative
improvisation
andimprovisational
iazz.
Reflecting
teamsprivilegeverbal
communication.
In the Reflecting
PuppetShows,I thinkthe non-verbal
is
asimportantasverbal.Nods,whispers
andbxpressions
cantakeplacebetween
puppets,aswellaslookingaway,bowing
heads,and hidingbehindpaws.
AsWilson(2007)notes'Dialogueincludes
everycommunicationpossiblethroughevery
Usingthe analogyof jazz,the'precise
- not an overfocuson thespokenword.
sense
performance'
of notescontainsalteration
Thenarrativemetaphorin familytherapyhas
of both pitchandduration,so the'rhythm'
beenwidely
appfiedto focuson the'story'above changes.And,in this respect "oneneeds
theAonce'. .."
to be carefulas to whatis addedand what
Johannesen
etal. (1998)talkofthe creation isleft unplayed..."(Wildman,
2001).We
of movementwhenfamiliesare'deadlocked' mightthinkof the 'rhythm'of the puppets
(p.134).
Theyapplythisideato the verbal
andthe moment-by-moment
choicesof
contentofthe session
andhowthe puppet
what issaid,andwhat is not said,andthe
showcantranscend
an impasse.
I liketo think pitchandtoneofvoiceasthe conversation
of the showcreatingmovementbothin non- emergesin the moment.Laughlinreminds
verbalandverbalways.Forexample,'mousy' usthat an importantway of masteringa
recentlyhid in the puppetbagandwould
musicalinstrument(and,by comparison,
notemerge.Sheonlypeekedout afterSusan therapeutic
skills)happensthrough
(aged5)cameoverandstrokedthe mouse!
repetitiouspractice.We learnto play
ears(l hadexplained
thatstrokingherears
the notesand we learnto facilitatethe
makesherfeelsafer).
conversation.However,"Doingtherapy,like
playingimprovisationalmusic,is an ineffable
lmprovisation
skillnot learnedby techniquealone . . ." (p. 56).
i thinka keyideaofthe reflectingpuppet
WhenI reflectviaa puppet,I seethisasa
showisimprovisation.
Thisrequires
the
formof reflection-in-action
asI thinkon mv
33
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in myview,a saferspaceto discuss
worries.
ln
puppetshowthe childrencan
thechildren's
createsome'distance'from
the oroblemto
telltheirstorythroughthe puppetsandthe
puppetsallowthe childrensomedistance
justlikeall
painfulfeelings.5q
to express
drama,on onelevelwe knowthe situationisnt
real,but we maysuspendbeliefanduseour
imagination
to acths if it werereal'.
Backto Bateson
etc.Theseworldsarereadilyaccessible
to children.
puppet
An aimof 'reflecting
shows'isfor adultsto join the childrenin
thisworldwhilekeeping'onefoot in the
adultcamp'(Wilson,
Fredman
ef a/.
1998).
(2007)state "Givinga toy theopportunity
to talk obout thechildcanoffera different
positioningfromconventionalreflectingteam
practice"(p.219).
In a puppetshowto two 7-year-old
twins,
looked-after-children
andtheircarer,Otter
wasableto museoverhowconfusing
it
mightbe to havetwo mums- a mumwho
they livewith anda mumwho theyseefrom
timeto time.
(1972)
Bateson
playand
considers
symbolism.
Hecitesthe exampleof two
youngmonkeyswhosebehaviour
of 'playfighting'wassimilarto, but not the sameas
combat.In hisfamousquotehe says
"Theplayfulnip denotesfstandsfor] the
Animalpuppetsvs dolls
PeteBrown
andsomemembers
oftheteam
bite,but it doesnot denotewhat wouldbe
I preferto useanimalsratherthandolls
denotedby thebite"(p.180).
andagreewith Johannesen
ef a/.(1998)
feet in the moment.Schonchampioned
the
Manyof the puppetsactassymbols:
when theysay"Ananimalwouldrepresent
ideasof reflectionin hisacademic
writings . H e d g e h o g ' p r i c k l y '
thenecessary
distanceso that thestory
. Crocodile'angry'
and lfound it veryinteresting
to notethat
wouldnot becometoorealistic"(p.125).
. Skunk'protects
he wasalsoan accomplished
musician
itselfby makinga smell'
This,in my view,mayalsoallowthe child
playingin both chamberandjazz.
. Ninjaturtle'strong'
to express
strongfeelingsthroughthe
. M o u s e ' s m a&l ls h v '
Assuggested
above,practiceishelpful.As
animal.Forexample,
in a recentshowthe
(1995)
Byng-Hall
remindsusin anaptlytitled 'Ladybird'ableto fly away'etc
puppetsreflected
somethoughtsabout
chapterSecureEnoughto lmprovise:"Repetition
Furthersymbolscanbe addedasin'the
the children's
absentfather.Thechildren
providesthe
launchpadforchange.We
mayfeel molewho losthersqueak'andthe otterwho wantedto performa showto the team.
secureenoughto exploreif.wecanpredictthat
oftensays'no-oneknowswho I reallyam'.
Oneof the childrenendedher performance
supportwillbereadilyavailableif and whenit is
In ourshows,we now askchildrenif they
by sayingthat the skunkwantsto "fartin
needed
..."(p.3).Althoughappliedprimarily ' wouldliketo choosethe puppets.
Thisseems father's
face".fhenanothersibling,through
to families,
lthink Byng-Hall's
ideascanbe
to makethe metaphorsinorepowerful.For
her puppet said"hewassometimes
nice".ln
similarly
appliedto professionals.
I thinkthat
example,
whenCharlotte,
aged1i,gaveme
thisrespect,
multipleviews,.via
the puppets
supportandencouragement
fromwithinthe
the hedgehog,
Iusedthe ideaof 'prickles
canbe expressed.
familytherapyteamisimportantto be ableto protectingit' in the reflections.
Thisseemed
stepoutsideone'stomfort zone'andtakerisks to connectwith ideasfrom herparticipation
?dult speak and child-speak'
bothin (a)attemptingtheseshows(b)using
in the session
andherfeelings
of being
Whenourteamreflectvia puppets,
'prickly'.
spontaneity
withinthe shows(c)carryingon
Johannesen
ef a/.considerthe
Ianguage
becomesmuchmorechildwith the showsevenwhenthingsmaynotgo
importance
of the childrecognising
him or
centred.Wilson(1998)
talksof "adult-speak"
'thild-speak".
according
to plan.
herselfin the metaphor(p.131).
and
Hegivessomeexamples
In ourCAMHS
familytherapyteam,I think
(seefigure1)and I havenoticedthat team
this'uncharted
territory'initiallyledto some
Re-framing
members,
throughthe mediumof the
reservations
aboutthe reflecting
puppets,
Thepuppetscanmuseoverthe problem reflectingpuppets,arefar morelikelyto use
but feedback,
especially
fromchildren,
has
but canalsoconveyhope,andthishasalso
childspeakphrases.
ledto clinicians
becomingveryenthusiastic
in becomean importantaspect,
especially
Johannesen
etal.(1998)statethat,as
thisnewrealm.Afterchildrenhavereceived
whenthe storyisvery'problemsaturated'.
In oral language"ispivotalto thereflecting
the show,theyusuallyrequestit againin
a iecentpuppetshow,the characters
talked team",words
andwaysneedto be foundfor
subsequent
sessions,
sotheteamhave
about'whatisADHD'andtheirconfusion
(p.
children
to understand
the oralmessage
becomemorepracticed
andprepared
for
about'whatthe medication
wassupposed 1 3 1 ) .
showson a regularbasis.
to do'.Thisthen ledto NinjaTurtlesaying
hethoughtthatBen,agedeight,musthave
The other sideof the mirror
The drama of the shows
some'super-strength'
himself(justlikethe
In the shows,we oftenswaproomsso
In considering
ideasfrompsychodrama,
it
turtle)andthat the betterbehaviourwasnot that the showisconductedin the therapy
ishelpfulto thinkof the reflecting
just down to the tablets'.
puppets
room,whilechildrenobservethrough
asa formof roleplay.Thepuppetscanmake
Whenendowingpuppetswith
the mirror.Thechildrenarethereforein a
commentsandgestures
fromthe'both/and' personality,
I thinkI cantracethe influence 'darkened
room'andthismayevokethe
positionof fantasyandreality.
Ontheone
on me of ideasfromchildren's
storybooks feelingof beingin a cinemaor theatre.
hand,thewordsarereal,but on theother,the whereanimalsexhibithumantraitssuchas
As Sacks(1990)suggests:"Lowlights
wordscomefromtoy puppets.
Thiscreates, mischievous,
naughty,cheeky,
frightened areoftenusedin soliloquy,whensomething
34
Gontext August2009
adult-speak(left)and child-speak(right)
. Appropriate
. Appointment
. Boundary
. Anxious
. Depression
. Confusion
"right thing to do"
"whenwe meet / come here again"
"saying'yes' or'no'; not giving in"
"nervous in your tummy"
"sad / down"
" just don't knowwhat to think"
room
a showfromtheobserving
watching
Children
Figure1,Wilson(1998:57)
evokedin the dramaneedsspaceto deepen
..." Forveryexcited
withoutdistraction
children,
the roomswapin low lightmay
alsohelpto createan energyshiftto the
Onceagain,
roleof observer(audience).
'one-way
screen'- can
adultspeak
-'magic
be convertedinto child-speak
mirror'- to maintaina playfulandexciting
approachto the process.
Findinga'fit'for childrenand
adults
(2007)notethis
Fredman
& Christie
possible
dilemma:the reflectingpuppet
showmightfit for children.but not for
the adult(s)in the family.Theynotethe
rapportwith
of establishing
importance
reflectingideas.I thinkthat anyclinicianor
to use
the parentsand seekingpermission
captivated
as parentwho seesthe children's
andagreement
theseplayfultechniques
in the interestwhentheywatchthe showswill be
to howthe childrenareto participate
(p.220).UsingAndersen's
by thisprocess.
convinced
original
session
I wouldliketo paytributeto Michael
reflecting
teamideas,they notethatthe
White.A few yearsago I sawan earlyvideo
useof puppetsmaybe'too different'for
(called
of Michaelwith hisco-therapist
the adultsto relateto. In my experience,
'Pilot')
who helpeda younggirlwith
warmingthe contextanddeveloping
- andthe girl helpedthe
soilingdifficulties
rapportwith the parentis important.This
mayevenhappenfor one or two meetings animalpuppetwho alsohadthisdifficulty.
Althoughthe puppetshowsaremorein
beforethe puppetsjointhe sessions.
teams,the ideafrom
the
veinof reflecting
days
in
the
era
of
our
It isstillearly
White
of
using
an animal/ puppet
Michael
shows,but I hopetheycontributeto
andthe notionof 'serious
asa co-therapist,
theirideas
childrenbeingableto express
play',hasinspiredme greatly.
canfeel
andfeelings andthat therapists
andconfidentusing
morecomfortable
References
waysof
theseplayful,improvisational
B a t e s o nG
, . ( 1 9 7 2 I f h e o r yo f p l a y a n d f a n t a s y
Fivecommonquestionsabout reflectingpuppet shows
1. What is the age range of the shows?
Early childhood (under fives) and middle childhood (under elevens) are allfine, even
older children often enjoy the shows (especially ifyounger siblings are present) as
well as older children with a learning disability.
2. Do you need an elaborate collection ofpuppets?
No" I have built up a collection over many years, but another team have recently
started using puppets with a modest collection of two rabbits, a fox and a mouse.
3.I am not a children's entertainer and I don't do squeakyanimalvoices.
can I contribute to the show?
How
I don't change myvoice. I find that children can become absorbed by the puppets
when non-verbal gestures are added to the reflections. Some team membeis like to
change their voice but children seem to accept both styles, even in the same show.
4. Ifyou replace adult reflections with puppet shows, how do you reflect on adult
issues?
At first we offered a reflecting team or reflecting puppet show but we have since
moved to offering both. We have found that.children can wait for their show
following the adult reflections. We aim for brevityin both reflecting styles, with
short pithy comments as far as possible (Freedman and Combs, 1997).
5. What is the bare minimum to get started?
A supportive team.; a small set of puppets (hand or finger size), a willingness to take
risks and ofcourse - enthusiasm for a playful approach.
Gontext Aueust2009
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Aronson.
Byng-Hall,J. (1995)RewritingFamily Scripts.New
Y o r k :G u i l f o r d .
F r e d m a n ,G . & C h r i s t i e ,D . ( 2 0 0 7 )R e f l e c t i n gt e a m s
with children: The bear necessities.ClinicalChild
Psychologyand Psychiatry, No. 12:211-222.
Freedman,J. & Combs, G. (1997)Narrative
Therapy:The Social Construction of Preferred
Realities.New York: Norton.
Freeman,.J.,Lobovits, D. & Epston, D. (1997)
Playful Approaches to SeriousProblems. New York:
Norton.
J o h a n n e s e n ,R i e b e r& T r a n a( 1 9 9 8 )T h e r e f l e c t i n g
puppet-show. Human Systems:TheJournal of
Systemi c Consu ltati on an d M a nag em ent, 9 (2),
12 3 - i 3 8 .
L a u g h l i n ,M . J .( 2 0 0 0 )T e a c h i n gc r e a t i v i t yi n
f a m i l y t h e r a p y s u p e r v i s i q n :L o o l < i n gt h r o u g h
an improvisatio nal lens.Jou rnaI of Systemi c
Therapies.19:3, 55-75.
S a c k sJ, . M .( 1 9 9 0 )P s y c h o d r a m al.n : L L . K u t a s h
& A. Wolf, (Ed).The Group Psychotherapist's
Handbook. New York: Columbia University Press.
Sclron, D. (1988) Educating the Reflective
Practitioner.5an Francisco:Jossy Boss.
W i l d m a n ,J : S y l l a b u sf o r J a z zl m p r o v i s a t i o na t
http ://h um. I ss.wisc.edu/j azz/
Wilson, J. (1998)Child FocusedPractice.London:
Karnac.
Wilson, J. (2007) ThePerformanceof Practice.
L o n d o n :K a r n a c .
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PeteBrownworl<s
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t .e
S o u t hL o n d o na sa f a m i l yt h e r a p i sH
J
puppet
welcomes
contaciaboutreflecting
s h o w si n c l u d i nagn yt e a m sw h o a l s of i n d
{
thiswayof workingusefulor who wouldlil<e
to try usingthese'shows'.
[email protected]
hs.uk
E-mail:
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