What does it look like in narrative practice to see problems as separate from persons, to take on a multi-storied approach, and to find openings to stories linking people to their know-how and skills? In this 2 day gathering, Maggie Carey worked with a group of practitioners to explore- and participate in – a series of narrative interviews to explore examples of key narrative principles in action and practice specific skills to help navigate tricky dilemmas in our everyday work.

This workshop was structured so that various participants will have the opportunity to be interviewed by Maggie and curated by Peggy. These interviews were then used as a platform to talk about the ways that are possible to go in a narrative conversation, to respond to questions participants have of Maggie about why she went the way she did in each interview. 12 Continuing Education Credits were approved by Union Institute & University.

This workshop took place on Thursday/Friday, June 16-17, 2016 at All Souls Gathering in Shelburne, Vermont.  We  created a welcoming space in the beautiful sanctuary, and in the surrounding hillside overlooking Lake Champlain.

Objectives:

In this workshop the participants will:

  • Observe demonstrations of narrative practice
  • Analyze live interviews to deconstruct practice.
  • Practice skill development in Narrative Therapy in small groups.
  • Recognize the use of particular “maps” of narrative practice.
  • Describe specific skills with which to navigate dilemmas in the clinical work.

Presenters

IMG_1180Maggie Carey is one of the co-directors (along with Shona Russell and Rob Hall) of Narrative Practices Adelaide, the centre for narrative training, supervision and therapy that Michael White established before his death in 2008.

Maggie has been involved in the practice of narrative therapy since the early 90’s and in the teaching of it for the past 18 years. She has taught narrative approaches in many local and international contexts including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Mexico, Brazil, England, Canada, Israel and Palestine, US, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Maggie enjoys the opportunity to teach both the theoretical principles of the narrative approach and the detailed practices that come from these philosophical underpinnings. She is known for her ability to make the narrative practice and thinking accessible to workshop participants and is energetic in her desire to have practitioners develop their own rich accounts of themselves in their work. Since 1994, Maggie has participated with Michael White and others in a number of community projects relating to a range of issues in people’s lives. These issues have included responding to grief and loss within Aboriginal communities, responding to people living with mental health issues and to homelessness, to people living with a disability and to women and children who have been subjected to violence.

Her current therapeutic work covers a range of issues that are impacting on people and she has a lively supervision practice with practitioners across many continents.

Peggy Sax, Ph.D. (Middlebury, Vermont) is in independent practice as a Licensed Psychologist, consultant, international teacher and international trainer. She has apprenticed herself to narrative therapy since the early 1990s.  She is the author of several articles, the book, Re-authoring Teaching: Creating a Collaboratory, the companion Re-authoring Teaching website and founder of The Collab Salon.  Whether online, on-the-road or within her beautiful home state of Vermont, it gives her great joy to bring together favorite people, ideas and practices – to learn, engage, play and replenish together.