The Wizard of Oz and The Counseling Relationship
I was watching the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, on Halloween night and I looked at it from a different perspective than I did from the many times I’ve watched it before. It gave me a great idea for describing the counseling relationship in a different way than most of the other theoretical frameworks out there. So prepared to be amazed dear readers for this one will combine a timeless classic and a helping professionals guide to healing clients. So buckle up and hang on because you’re about to step on to the yellow brick road of life.
In the film (Fleming, 1939), Dorothy and her dog, Toto land in the land of Oz after running away from home during a twister. In the real world, it’s the client avoiding the problem either through running away from it, indulging in external or material excesses (alcohol, sex, drugs, etc.), or dying by suicide. Dorothy is welcomed by the Munchkins and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (the counselor) for accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East and for a brief moment, she feels as she is the luckiest girl in the entire world. The client believes that the indulgences or the removal of pain will make them happy forever, but it does not. Then we are introduced to the antagonist of the story, The Wicked Witch of the West who is angry about the death of her sister. The antagonist in the client’s journey is the real problem and the obstacle the protagonist has to overcome this could be: low-self esteem, addiction, trauma, bullying, divorce, a job that is unfulfilling, etc.
After the witch departs the scene, Dorothy realizes that she must get home somehow. Glinda suggests that she seek out the mysterious and wonderful Wizard of Oz to get Dorothy back home. In the counseling relationship, this is when we begin to help the client find easy baby steps to being healing from whatever may hinder them from their final destination. Dorothy skips her way down the yellow brick road, but comes across some help from various characters during the journey. The Scarecrow who lacks a brain, but is intelligent without one; the Tin Man, who loves others even though he was not given a heart; and the Cowardly Lion, who showed courage in the face of danger. These characters in the clients story are the friends and family who encourage us to be better people.
Throughout the journey to the Emerald City, they have an encounter with talking trees, the Wicked Witch herself, and of course poppies! These are the obstacles of everyday that clients face when reaching their final destination, but its important to remember if Dorothy over came hers they can overcome theirs. When the friends finally reach the Emerald City, the Wizard requests them to bring him “the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West” (Fleming,1939). The client is the one who has to make a big change in order to meet their final goal/destination, this may be asked of them by the counselor or it may be a decision a client makes on their own. So Dorothy and her crew travel to the Witch’s castle to defeat the Witch and complete the quest. However, they are stopped by the Witch and her army of monkeys. This is a part of the client’s journey where they must figure out whether they want to complete the journey or stay still.
Dorothy is locked away in the Witch’s corridor, while her friends try to rescue her with the help of Toto, her dog. In the client’s journey, friends may or may not always help us get to the place we want to be. But what keeps Dorothy sane while being locked away is the hope she will be back in Kansas again; in the same sense, the client has to hold on to hope that things will get better. Finally, Dorothy throws a bucket of water at the Witch with the aim of getting rid of the fire on Scarecrow’s arm. Here the client intentionally or unintentionally overcomes their problem with the skills provided from the counselor and other resources. However this is not the end of the story.
Dorothy plans to return to Kansas with Wizard, but some mishaps happen and she gets left behind. This leaves her upset, but fortunately Glinda shows up and reminds her of her strength. In the counseling relationship, the counselor or their influence is there to remind the client of the strengths in order for the client to push forward on their journey. Because what Glinda said is true, we all have strengths in us we just have to figure out and learn what they are for ourselves. It won’t happen overnight, we have to follow our own yellow brick roads in order to discover it for ourselves. My future job as a counselor is to help my clients reach their strengths and be their “Good Witch of the North” to guide them in realizing they have power over their lives.
References:
Fleming, V. L. (Director). (1939). Wizard of Oz [Film]. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
