When Re-Authoring Teaching celebrated its 10 anniversary, we spent time looking back and building new directions. Along the way, we identified a dozen Hot Topics guiding our narrative training activities, forming the foundation for what we now call “Contemporary Narrative Therapy.” With the catastrophic worldwide wildfires and floods weighing heavily in our hearts, we renamed Earth’s Environmental Crisis and Opportunity (EECO) as a BURNING Topic to find the courage to counter the pull of ‘business as usual.’ Here, we combine a range of multimedia materials and select additional resources to explore each theme, each curated by a small group and coordinator. Some of these offerings are available to the public; others require Collab members, Online Courses & Consultation Group registrants to login. At the bottom of each topic, we include opportunities to contribute your own materials.
Earth’s Environmental Crises and Opportunities for Change
During this time of significant shifts in our social and ecological world, what ideas and practices are we offering our clients, ourselves, and our wider communities? What does it mean to have an inspired relationship with Earth’s crises and these vast opportunities for intersectional change?
Learn MoreMichael White: Building on his legacy
In 2018, honoring the 10th anniversary of Michael’s death, Reauthoring Teaching started a community project that pools the collective influence of Michael White into an online resource that paints a picture of his legacy through many voices, perspectives and mediums. Join us!
Learn MoreDavid Epston: Improvisation, Innovations & Collaborations
David Espton, co-founder of narrative therapy, brings a sense of wonder, adventure and innovation to his conversations and collaborations. What makes a good question? What guides inquiry in narrative therapy? What are some narrative lines of inquiry? Here we give a glimpse at David’s illustrious contributions to Playful Approaches, Anti-anorexia/Anti-bulimia, Alternative sources of bravery, and Insider Witness Practices. We include our David Epston Youtube playlist, the Wilbur podcasts by his close associate Kay Ingamells and a range David's contributions to our Collab Salons (past and upcoming) as well as a preview of the long awaited Three Interviews with David Epston course. Thank you David! Please help us continue to grow these David Epston-inspired resources by sending us your contributions.
Learn MoreNarrative Therapy, Trauma & The Affective Turn
What are some considerations in integrating other approaches with a foundation in narrative therapy? The affective turn- as described by Gerald Monk and Navid Zamani -as concerned with the connection between the mind, brain, and body, and its connection to the language of feelings, intentions, and choices which is both discursive and non-discursive. The turn to affect pays attention to what is beyond language and the discursive and focuses on what is located within the body. How can Narrative Therapy honor history while bridging with other embodied approaches?
Learn MoreDelving into Difference & Accountability
As narrative practitioners, enthusiasts, and teachers, we wish to embody the values and practices that we believe in around difference, race, power, and accountability. Many ask themselves during these historic and troubling times: What actions can we take today and every day? We have condensed our YouTube playlist to highlight a few choice videos, added practical tools to share with others, and updated our podcasts, websites, relevant Collab Salons, and other resources Addressing Racism & Anti-Blackness Attitudes, For Kids & Families, and Taking Action.
Learn MoreAcross Narrative Generations: Co-Sparking with Emerging Voices
Many mentors support local practitioners earlier in their careers, bringing narrative practice to higher education settings and workshops in Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. We witness- and take delight – in the emergence of new voices that contribute immeasurably to our learning community. We are co-learning together.
Learn MoreNarrative Practices Around the World: Intercultural Considerations
Narrative ideas and practices that began in Australia and New Zealand have now spread to many countries throughout the Americas, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa. What are some of the innovations emerging as practitioners apply narrative therapy to different culture, context and meanings? What kinds of questions do people in different cultures voice as they step into their cultural identities, and strive to make narrative therapy into their own?
Learn MoreNarrative Skill Development
As follow-up to an earlier conversation (Psychotherapy Networker Conference, 2003), Michael exchanged with Salvador Minuchin at The Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference (2005). Salvador insisted that there was something more guiding Michael's practice than following maps of narrative practice. Michael responded:"This is about skills development. I have always been in awe of jazz improvisation. When I see these musicians improvise, it looks so spontaneous. But it is a meticulous development of certain skills. It is and it isn’t spontaneity. There is no contradiction. Those musicians who seem the most spontaneous are founded on the most practice." This Hot Topic focuses on ways in which narrative practitioners can continue to grow in specific skill development while honoring a spirit of improvisation and rich story development.
Learn MoreNarrative Practice Applied to Particular Areas
A range of possibilities to apply narrative practice include working with couples, sexuality, neurodiversity, queer counseling, emotions, embodiment, arts, mindfulness practices, end-of-life conversations, death & dying, yoga. What would you like to add?
Learn MoreStrengthening a Collaborative Narrative Network
As a consortium of narrative practice teachers, practitioners and enthusiasts from around the world, we seek to embody the spirit of collaboration and community by being such a community. Our intention is to build a uniquely supportive network cooperatively sharing narrative offerings throughout the world. Working together in partnership, we wish to create a collaboratory that uses technology constructively in productive and socially responsible ways. We are eager to bring together this network toward preserving, developing, and extending the legacy of narrative therapy.
Learn MoreTeaching & Supervision
Are you teaching at an academic institution, offering narrative training in your communities, and/or providing narrative supervision to other practitioners? Would you like to help us build a supportive network and resource library? Please join us if you seek inspiration, information, and resources for your teaching, training, research and supervision.
Learn MoreRefreshing Our Spirit in the Work
What are we learning about co-learning narrative ideas and practices alongside others who have a ranging relationship with these ideas and practices? How might we support Narrative principles and practices to be best learned, sustained, and applied to people's particular professional and personal contexts? What will help us resist burnout and sustain a narrative future with support for practice, reflection, replenishment, and community building?
Learn MoreAdd Your Contributions!
Each Hot Topic is a work in progress, which we hope to regularly update. Please fill out our Contribution Form to help build our Youtube Playlist and other Hot Topic resources.
Do you have something to contribute?
We’ve made it easy with an online form where you can provide us with your text and media files including images, video, PDFs, and links. We look forward to hearing from you and doing our best to add as many contributions as we can to this rich resource! Please remember to honor confidentiality and to ensure permission.