March 20, 2016 Collab Salon: Bridging Narrative Therapy and Psychiatry
What do narrative therapy and narrative psychiatry have in common? Our three co-presenters took turns sharing different experiences with bridging narratively-informed psychotherapy, psychiatric care and mental health treatment. The conversation focused on about common core principles and practices for therapeutic conversations that foster resilience, employ externalizing practices to develop culturally-contextualized understandings of problems that are separate from the person’s identity, and build on the family’s or individual’s values, cultural context and vision of well-being.
February 2016 Collab Salon: Exemplary Tales: Part 2 with David Epston & Tom Carlson
Narrative therapy has depended heavily on the exemplary tale (otherwise known as the 'case story') as one of its most characteristic means by which its practice is told. Michael White had a mastery of such a form, and now David Epston continues in this tradition. In November 2015, we were delighted to welcome David, Sasha Pilkington & Kay Ingamells (Auckland), and Travis Heath (Denver) for a special two hour session of the Collab Salon about using case studies as pedagogy (Collab members can review this Past Salon here). This time, David was accompanied by his colleague Tom Carlson (North Dakota, USA) to share what they are learning from using exemplary tales as a pedagogy with Tom's students (Sarah and Anna) at North Dakota State University. Sasha Pilkington & Kay Ingamells also joined us. This was such a lively and thought provoking Collab Salon!
October, 2015 Collab Salon: Exploring new possibilities for outsider witnessing
Over the years, The Collab developed a process for witnessing each other's discoveries and dilemmas. We called this discussion forum, 'I need a witness!" Now that Zoom makes it possible to meet in real-time, we'd like to think carefully together about how we might adapt intentional witnessing practices to bear witness to developments in Collab Salon members' work. Our intent is to co-create our own process for respectfully witnessing each other through this digital media. Prior to this Collab [...]
September, 2015: Stories that honor cultural integrity – marcela polanco
marcela polanco from Our Lady of the Lake University was our featured guest for the September Collab Salon. After overcoming some initial techno difficulties, we engaged in a discussion about a question Michael White raised in his work “How is it that people pull the materials of culture together to form an identity and a life, and of the processes by which these cultural knowledges and practices are reworked in people’s expressions of living?” (White, 2001). We focused on the complex ways in which culture shapes the oral traditions that support the fabrication of stories and the assembling of our lives in turn.
August 2015: Reinventing Re-authoring Teaching’s future
Peggy Sax facilitated a conversation about Reinventing Re-authoring Teaching's future. For the past several months, a team of people have been working behind the scenes on a major renovation of our website, Youtube channel and online course offerings. Together we honored Michael White and David Epston's legacy, traced the evolution of this online learning community, and celebrated our new beginnings.