Journaling with Clients who have Literacy Challenges

Frank Schwebel

Because journaling is a core component of The Seven Challenges, we’re sometimes asked how to use the materials with clients who are developmentally delayed, have limited literacy, or otherwise struggle with reading and/or writing. It’s a good question, and I’m always glad to hear people are trying to figure out how best to make the program work with their client population.

What often surprises counselors is organizations that provide The Seven Challenges have a long history of successfully working with these populations.

The materials themselves are written as simply as possible, with the goal of being accessible at about a third- to fourth-grade reading level. Many organizations report that youth with literacy challenges are usually able to muddle their way through the journals with enough support. That doesn’t mean it’s effortless. They may struggle more than peers without literacy deficits, but there are concrete, structural strategies to make the process work.

Reading and Writing Support

Counselors have found success by building in extra encouragement and scaffolding around reading and writing, and by removing any sense of time pressure related to journaling. In these situations, it’s especially important for counselors to be present during journaling and to normalize asking for help — whether that’s help understanding a question, spelling a word, or figuring out how to get a thought onto the page. Often, when counselors sit with clients for even a few pages of journaling to get them started with the process, both the client and the counselor gain confidence.

Verbal Communication

If written journaling still isn’t working, there are alternatives that stay true to the spirit of the work. More verbal processing or offering plain-language summaries can all help. When youth truly can’t read, counselors can read materials aloud, scribe brief responses, or invite verbal answers and document them.

If those approaches still aren’t effective, continued modifications, as clinically appropriate are recommended. Ultimately, this may mean reading the content aloud and relying primarily on verbal responses.

Short Tasks and Check-Ins

When working with this population, we’ve found it especially helpful to focus on short, manageable tasks and to do frequent comprehension checks to ensure success. And sometimes, beyond providing counseling, you may even help a young person strengthen their reading or writing skills.

In fact, we’ve heard that sometimes supportive journaling is the first positive experience youth have had with reading and writing without being judged. This can help youth gain confidence and competency that can benefit them long after treatment ends.

Pitfalls to Watch for

Sometimes clients claim literacy challenges to avoid work they actually could do. This can be about avoidance, but just as often it’s about shame or lack of confidence. On the flip side, counselors, wanting to protect clients from embarrassment, may unintentionally underestimate their abilities.

In our experience, many people labeled as having literacy issues demonstrate more comprehension and expressive ability than expected when they’re given time, validation, concrete prompts, or the chance to respond verbally. We recommend starting with standard engagement and adjusting only as needed, while offering lots of support and encouragement along the way. Clients often surprise us and sometimes even surprise themselves.

Working with Non-English Speakers or Clients who Speak English as a Second Language

Every few months, we receive requests for translated materials. At the moment, only the adolescent program is available in Spanish, German, and Maltese. We are actively working on Spanish translations for the adult program as well.

Because of the risks involved, we generally discourage the use of community members or informal helpers to translate journals unless they are trained, professional translators or treatment providers who are fluent in that language.

Translation in a therapeutic context is not just about words, it’s about meaning. Even well-intentioned translations can miss nuance or subtly shift the clinical intent. For example, asking a client, “What are you thinking about your drinking limits moving forward?” could easily be mistranslated as “What are you thinking about stopping drinking?” — especially in cultures where abstinence is viewed as the only acceptable goal. If that shift happens, the counselor may never know and the therapeutic alliance can quietly suffer.