Helping Campers Solve Their Own Problems - Community Care Corner

At Beber Camp, our staff learn a five-step approach to helping campers solve their own problems. We believe that our campers are lovable and capable, and helping them see that they are capable enables them to develop greater self-confidence and increases their self-esteem.When a camper has a problem, our staff do the following:

1. Provide a sincere and robust dose of empathy. That may sound like “Oh, I bet that was hard,” or “I can see you are upset,” or “That is a problem and must be upsetting.”
2. After the camper knows the counselor cares, the counselor asks, “What do you think you are going to do?” Asking that question tells campers that we trust that they are smart enough to figure out how to fix a problem.
3. Sometimes the camper’s response is “I don’t know.” When that happens, the counselor asks the camper, “Would you like to hear some things other campers have tried in this kind of situation?”
   1. If the camper says “yes,” the counselor goes to step 4.
   2. If the camper says “no,” the counselor says, “I know you’ll figure something out; I have faith in you; let me know if I can be of any help.” And the counselor does nothing else.
4. If the camper said “yes” in step 3, the counselor gives the camper two or three different strategies that might work, always by saying, “some campers have…,” so that the counselor isn’t telling the camper which solution to use or that the ideas are coming from the counselor. After each idea, the counselor says, “how would that work for you?” to let the camper try on the idea and be the one in control of choosing a solution.
5. Allow the camper to solve the problem. The counselor will say, “Good luck, let me know how it turns out. I’d love to hear about it.”

This technique is excellent for building up a camper’s self-esteem and self-confidence and building relationships between the camper and counselor. It works for parents too! You’ll always get more buy-in from children when you don’t tell them what to do, but let them know you believe they are capable and allow them to problem-solve with a bit of guidance (if they want it). For more information about Love and Logic, please visit loveandlogic.com. You will find free advice and articles here.