When All the Time You Have is Now: Brief Narrative Practices for Single Sessions

I have heard from staff that they were blown away (multiple “aha moments”) by the training and most appreciative of what Karen was able to bring to the agency. Some described it as the best post-graduate training they have had. The office is still a buzz today with lots of accolades about Karen and the content.

First let me tell you that the staff is still riding high from the training. One therapist used narrative with a tough client yesterday who she was feeling may need a hospitalization as they were not making any progress. She said he really responded and said at the end of the session that he had hope, which was new for him. She was struggling in previous weeks as a clinician, feeling as though she was not making progress.

I thoroughly enjoyed Karen’s training. Karen is so experienced and knowledgeable and has a way of making you feel safe in taking risks and trying new skills. I think this was the most valuable training I’ve taken to date!!

Karen’s training was very engaging and relevant to the work we are doing with families. Her ability to simplify the process has left staff feeling we have a new set of tools for assisting families.  This has motivated everyone to move forward with the walk-in process.

Karen, having attended your two workshops, I’d like to offer you this compliment: you are truly gifted at what you do and at how you teach and present the material.  Your presentations of your clinical (therapeutic) work were certainly instructional and wonderfully inspirational.  Witnessing the changes in the young persons and their family members in your sessions left me thinking that the families were fortunate to come to your attention for your service.  They came burdened with problems and they left with in-session transformational experiences.  WOW!   I hope to have the opportunity to return and learn more from your expertise in the not- too-distant future.

One thing that consistently resonates, and that I massively appreciate, is the way that you take up narrative positioning in the way that you facilitate workshops… checking in at the beginning and throughout the workshop about whether we are on track with our hopes for the day.   I just really appreciate this way of positioning yourself, as a “co-learner”.  I have taken much from seeing you do this over the years and it has been influential in the ways that I have positioned myself as “co-learner” when faced with facilitating workshops.

Another thing that really stood out is how much attention you paid to “setting the agenda” in the live interview.  This is something that I feel could and likely would make a difference in terms of focusing in on what is important to the person that we are consulting with… spending more time at the beginning of a session to get clear on what it is that is important to talk about will likely help reduce the “all over the place” sessions, and the feeling of dissatisfaction that comes with it.

Karen’s workshop was one of the best one-day workshops for psychotherapists I have ever attended. Karen was thorough and clear and had excellent video demo and practice exercises. I found it highly relevant and immediately usable. The next week, my clients and I made some very helpful discoveries using this approach. Most of all, Karen modeled the philosophy of valuing and respecting the client’s unique nature and perspective on their world.

I just wanted to share that I have talked with more than one person who commented on appreciating the deep RESPECT that you showed in your clinical approach during the last Brief Therapy Clinical Supervision session.

I wanted to let you know that I really appreciated your training last week. The ‘why’ exercise at the end was personally impactful, and it gave me the courage to continue asking those questions with clients. I also really valued the opportunity to discuss client strengths and ways of delving more deeply into them. In nearly every session since then, I have tied something from that training into the session.

I just wanted to thank you for the training yesterday and say, once again, that you truly are an inspiration for individuals like myself who are just starting out in the field…wondering where my “journey” might take me. You serve as a reminder that dedication and hard work (along with a palpable passion) can and do “pay off.”