Leistner, C., & Hristov, J. (2026). On the difficulties of pleasing everyone: Narrative approaches in therapeutic work with children and adolescents. WAPP Press.
ISBN 978-3910225794
This book presents the therapeutic use of stories as a practical and psychologically grounded approach to psychotherapy with children and adolescents. It explores how stories can help young clients express experiences that are difficult to put into words, gain access to underlying emotional and psychological processes, and discover new ways of understanding themselves, their relationships, and the challenges they face.
Inspired in part by the work of Nossrat Peseschkian and his use of stories and metaphors within Positive Psychotherapy, the book builds on the idea that stories can create a safe psychological distance from difficult experiences while opening new perspectives and possibilities for change.
Combining theoretical foundations with practical clinical applications, the book demonstrates how therapeutic stories can be integrated into psychodynamic psychotherapy, schema therapy, and systemic and family therapy. Clinical illustrations, reflection questions, therapeutic suggestions, and practical materials provide clinicians with concrete ways to incorporate stories into their work.
Rather than offering ready-made solutions, the stories invite children and adolescents to reflect, identify with different perspectives, recognize recurring patterns, and discover their own possibilities for change. In this way, therapeutic storytelling can support psychological development, strengthen coping resources, and foster greater self-understanding and emotional resilience.