Re-Authoring

Postmodernism, post-structuralist inquiry, and the French Poststructuralist Philosophers

As a cultural phenomenon, postmodernism impacts the fields of philosophy, architecture, literature, music and other expressive arts. Many narrative practitioners prefer the more specific term poststructuralism to describe an approach to inquiry that questions the concept of "self" as a singular and coherent entity, and is in contrast to structuralism’s truth claims. I sometimes use the umbrella terms “postmodern” or “collaborative” therapies as an effort to unify a diversity of approaches – not to obscure [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:47-04:00December 14th, 2013|0 Comments

Characteristics of narrative ways of working

Jill Freedman and Gene Combs have been teaching and practicing narrative therapy for many years. They are the co-founders of The Evanston Family Therapy Center where they provide consultation and workshops for people interested in exploring the practice of narrative therapy for individuals, families, institutions, and communities. On their website, they post a number of excellent responses to the question, “What is Narrative Therapy?” These notes are taken from workshop handouts. Feel free to use these notes [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:47-04:00December 5th, 2013|0 Comments

Pitfalls and challenges in work with men… who use violence against their partners by Rob Hall

It has become fashionable for people to present their work in ways that don’t claim expert status. I must admit that makes writing this much easier as I do not feel like an expert despite working in the field since 1980. There is also a school of thought that says it is very important to outline, make clear and transparent, how central themes of work are derived. Others can then critique these themes and make their [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00December 1st, 2013|0 Comments

Challenging the effects of childhood sexual abuse

Charley Lang works with individuals, couples, and families at Narrative Counseling Center in Los Angeles, California (narrativecounselingcenter.com). A teacher of narrative practices, he is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker and Director of the BA Psychology Program at Antioch University. Charley wrote this article in response to requests from students and colleagues interested in seeing narrative practices at work while addressing issues related to trauma. The article documents his experiences consulting with a client in his private [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00December 1st, 2013|0 Comments

Insider knowledge: expert on mental illness reveals her own fight

I just read the New York Times article by Marsha Linehan, "Expert on Mental Illness Reveals Her Own Fight " (and watched the video where she describes her deeply personal and transformational religious experience). For several days, this article - where Marsha Linehan of "DBT" fame shares her story - was the #1 most emailed article in the New York Times. Here she describes how she was able to create such a comprehensive treatment used [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00December 1st, 2013|0 Comments

Jane Fonda: “Life’s third act”

Within this generation, an extra 30 years have been added to our life expectancy -- and these years aren’t just a footnote or a pathology. In this talk, Jane Fonda asks how we can think about this new phase of our lives.

Re-Authoring2015-06-29T18:04:48-04:00December 1st, 2013|0 Comments

Narrative practices in mental health settings

Gaye Stockell and Marilyn O'Neil founded the Sydney Narrative Family Centre in Sydney, Australia. They have been engaging with narrative ideas for more than twenty years within psychiatric settings. Raymond & the Black Dot Gaye and Marilyn's conversations with Raymond in 1990 had profound effects on their work practices as mental health workers in a psychiatric rehabilitation center. Diagnosed as a schizophrenic, Raymond shared "A black dot" story that draws a link to an experience [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00November 29th, 2013|0 Comments

Zhao: China

The first three photos were taken in Meishan city of Sichuan province during the Chinese new year. People enjoyed their lives in the square, drinking tea and playing cards. It evoked me about the leisure life style in my homeland. People focused on enjoying lives more than earning money. It's a philosophy of leading a leisure life which lasts for thousands years. I once rode a bicycle from Chengdu to Meishan in a summer vacation 10 [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00November 29th, 2013|0 Comments

Psychotic experience and discourse

"Michael White worked in state psychiatric hospitals, child and adolescent psychiatric services and was consultant for many years to a large state psychiatric hospital in Adelaide. Throughout his life Michael maintained an enduring commitment to questioning practices that were pathologising of people’s lives, and to developing collaborative ways of working. His work in relation to psychotic experience and, in particular, assisting people to revise their relationship with voices was a significant part of the interactions [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00November 26th, 2013|Comments Off

Collaborating with children and families in times of crisis

From isolation to community: Collaborating with children and families in times of crisis by Betsy Buckley & Phil Decter is posted on the Dulwich site. The article is written by Betsy and Phil. The recent (January, 2013) photo includes Peggy Sax and Chris Behan who can take no credit for writing this excellent article!

Re-Authoring2015-08-16T14:24:54-04:00November 26th, 2013|0 Comments

Peggy Sax: Finding common ground: parents speak out about family centered practices

After 7 years, I wrote up the findings from my dissertation project about experiences of “finding common ground” between human service seekers, providers, and planners. I interviewed about 100 people (group and individual) from different designated roles (parents of young children with mental health concerns; therapists, early childhood care and education and other providers; and federal & state planners). The article Finding Common Ground : Parents Speak Out About Family-Centered Practices was published in The Journal of [...]

Re-Authoring2017-08-01T14:51:48-04:00November 26th, 2013|0 Comments

Working with families with infants and toddlers

“Narrative therapy and family support: Strengthening the mother’s voice in working with families with infants and toddlers” (1997) was published in Narrative Therapies with Children and Adolescents by Craig Smith and David Nyland. This chapter is the first time I wrote something for publication about narrative therapy. I remember the effort it took to rise to the occasion. I was grateful to Bill Lax for inviting me to write the chapter instead of the one he had [...]

Re-Authoring2015-07-07T15:20:23-04:00November 26th, 2013|Comments Off

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