You\u2019ve Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave<\/em>, illustrated by Nick Maland, is a children\u2019s book with a sneakily therapeutic theme, using metaphor and creatively-depicted scenes to describe a boy named Ben\u2019s experience with his inner world.<\/p>\n Ben, poor guy, has \u201cdragons.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben spends his time throughout the narrative sharing his first-person experience of having \u201cdragons\u201d in a raw but delightful manner. By the end, he has become an accidental dragon expert.<\/p>\n This book was written for children, of course, but the day it truly began to impact my counseling practice was the day I first decided to read it to an adult client.<\/p>\n You see, Ben\u2019s \u201cdragon problem\u201d represents a lot more than just a scaly antagonist. We could drop just about any personal struggle in place of the word \u201cdragon\u201d throughout this book and find camaraderie in Ben\u2019s story.<\/p>\n Such literary tropes and metaphors as those presented in this book are sometimes lost on children. But when placed in the hands of an adult client in a supportive counseling relationship, this book can create a fresh space for vulnerability and self-exploration.<\/p>\n After all, we\u2019ve ALL got dragons sometimes<\/strong>. But we often need an opportunity to talk about them. We adults are unfortunately pretty stubborn like that and may need a nudge or two.<\/p>\n \u201cPretending a huge, great, ENORMOUS dragon isn\u2019t there is exhausting. So sooner or later you stop pretending.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I have witnessed grown individuals begin weeping halfway through this book.<\/p>\n Some clients swear that it is clearly written about depression. Or anxiety.<\/p>\n Trauma, maybe,<\/p>\n or an eating disorder.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the book is referring to addiction, right?\u201d<\/em> someone once asked.<\/p>\n Rarely have I had 2 clients assume that this book is referencing the same thing.<\/p>\n You see, when we read it, we are all Ben. We can picture the dragon that is our own. A dragon that probably<\/p>\n \u201cmakes your heart thud and your head wobble,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n encourages you to \u201cmake silly mistakes,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cmakes everything complicated,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n and<\/p>\n \u201cseems so much bigger than you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Sound familiar? I guess maybe you have had a dragon before, too. Maybe you even have a dragon right now.<\/p>\n It turns out that the specific identity of the dragon is fairly insignificant because the experiences of having a dragon are pretty similar.<\/p>\n A few things about dragons that this book teaches us: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNobody deserves dragons You certainly don\u2019t. You didn\u2019t get them by being bad. All these people have dragons, and they\u2019re REALLY, REALLY good.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The book ends with letters from readers to Ben seeking advice about dragons. Even Ben\u2019s dad has dragons!<\/p>\n Ways to utilize this book with your kids:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ways to utilize this book for yourself: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHonor the dragons that you meet and learn from them. They\u2019re not as powerful as you think. No dragon is more powerful than YOU.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Cave, K., & Maland, N. (2020). You\u2019ve got dragons.<\/em> Peachtree.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have decided to let you all in on a therapy trade secret. It is my own little room-of-requirement for my counseling practice that I stumbled upon a bit by accident. Admittedly, it is not an actual room, but a children\u2019s book that creates an individualized space for healing and self-exploration, catered specifically to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health-es"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cDragons show up when you least expect them,\u201d Ben begins, \u201cYou turn around, and there they are.\u201d<\/em><\/h5>\n
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