Metaphors are especially
needed when counselees lack proficiency in reasoning or verbal fluency.
Sergio was a
nineteen-year-old former gang member who saw me for a dozen sessions. He was on
a year’s probation for getting caught with several bags of methamphetamine in
his car. After doing some jail time, the police department had released him to
work a residential drug treatment program (Narcotics Anonymous) and get some
individual counseling.
In this sixth session, Sergio was contemplating for the
first time enrolling in a community college. Understandably, he had anxiety
that all he had learned in gang life would work against him.
“One thing I’ve discovered about you, Sergio, is that you are a very resourceful guy.”“In gang stuff. But I don’t know nothing about college.”“I see that differently.”“Like what?”“Remember the things you shared about getting in tight with the gang, robbing an enemy’s stash, and living off drug sales?”“Yeah.”“When you put it all together, I think you had a high learning curve for figuring out how to deal drugs and carry on a successful business.”“I did pretty good ‘til the cops popped me.”“So what’s to keep you from that same high learning curve at community college?”“I can’t sell drugs there. They’d bust my ass in two seconds.”“Yeah, but think of all the social skills you’ve learned in the past few years. You’ve learned how to hang with people, how to watch out for them, how to be loyal to your friends and customers. College students are human just like you. Your social skills will work there as good as in a gang.”
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| Community College |
“But what about all the bad things I know?”“So what? The best students bring some life experience with them to college. You’ve survived on the street and that’s valuable experience. Now you’ll just be applying your intelligence to learning math instead of weighing and bagging dope. I imagine you have good rudimentary math skills.”“I was good at keeping a ledger for what people owed to me.”“Just change the scene a bit and you’re passing college algebra so you can build a trade instead of rotting in jail.”“What about reading? I don’t read good.”“Neither do I. How did you handle it in the gang when you needed to learn how to turn a drug deal?”“I talked to somebody who was good at it—somebody in the gang longer than me.”“There you have it. Use that same determination to find a friend or tutoring course on campus to help you do the reading. And don’t forget that Hollywood smile you’ve got. You should use it more often, now that you’re not trying to scare people.”Sergio smiled.
“So here’s the deal,” I said. “You’re a talented man with a sharp intelligence and considerable social skills. You’ve already proved how successful you are at the formidable challenges of gang life. Only you don’t like the jail time that goes with it. Now you’ve kicked your drug addiction through NA and your Higher Power. The way I see it, God is calling you forward into a whole new future. What’s keeping you from putting your courage and talent into a first semester at the community college?”“Nothing. I think I’ll go over and check it out.”
Sergio did just that, and after two more months of thinking about it,
Sergio entered the community college for the summer term.
For more, read:
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING THAT REALLY WORKS
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| Christian Counseling Book |
