New
Hope CE, April 2003, William Gaultiere, Ph.D.
Imagine
that Juno from the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance" called
or chatted with New Hope about his reluctance to play in a big
golf tournament because he'd lost his swing. Consider the following
and then offer some possible New Hope Counselor responses, using
the "A-B-C's of New Hope Counseling" to guide you.
Background
Juno was
a local golf hero in Savannah, Georgia whose promising future
as a young golf star was shot down on the battlefields of World
War I. After the war he lives as a bum, drinking, smoking,
and playing cards with the town riff raff. The leaders of Savannah
want to restore pride and prosperity in their Southern town
by hosting a golf tournament featuring the great Bobby Jones
and Walter Haggin. A boy named Hardy Grieves suggests that
local hero "Captain Juno" could represent Savannah.
Re-cap
of the movie scene
Juno holding
a bottle of whiskey and shrouded in a cloud of smoke at the
card table: "Now the question on the table is, `How drunk is
drunk enough?' And the answer is that it's all a matter of
brain cells. You see every drink of liquor you take kills 1,000
brain cells, but that doesn't much matter because you got billions
more. First the sadness cells go and you smile real big. And
then the quiet cells go and you just say everything real loud
for no reason at all. That's okay because the stupid cells
go next and everything you say is real smart. And finally come
the memory cells. These are tough S.O.B.'s to kill."
Hardy: "But
there's a golf match. and there was a meeting to see who would
stand up for Savannah in the match. So I said you would."
Juno refuses
Hardy him and the town leaders.
Beginning
of the New Hope call/chat: Active Listening
Juno (while
drinking): "Should I play in the golf tournament?"
Your boundary:
"Are you drinking now? Please set it down so we can talk."
(If drunk and not suicidal then ask him to contact New Hope
when he's sober.)
Your open
question/probe to invite deeper self-disclosure: "What are your
thoughts about this opportunity for you to play in the tournament?"
Your summary
statement: "You don't know what you want to do about this."
Your feeling
reflection: "It seems that part of you hopes that you could
compete on the course like you used to, but another part of
you is afraid that you'll embarrass yourself."
Middle
of New Hope call/chat: Brainstorming an action step
Juno: "I
can't play in the tournament because I've lost my swing."
Your open
question/probe to generate ideas: "In the past when you lost
your swing how did you regain it?"
Another
open question/probe to help him solve his problem: "What other
ideas do you have for how you could find your golf swing?"
End of
the New Hope call/chat: Close with reinforcing plan and offering
prayer
Juno: "I'll
probably make a fool of myself."
Your summary
statement to confirm his step: "It's scary for you, but you've
decided to practice your golf with a coach."
Your prayer:
"Dear God, I lift up Juno to you. He loves golf and yet he's
scared to fail. Give him the courage to follow through on his
desire to get back out on the golf course with a coach. Help
him to find his swing. Help him to regain his comfort and confidence
with his golf clubs. You created Juno to play golf so I know
that you'll be proud of him just for giving his best. In Jesus'
name we pray. Amen."
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