Course Description
Narrative Therapy: Foundations & Key Concepts (FKC) offers six lessons introducing the philosophical foundations and key concepts guiding narrative therapy in work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. The course gives an overview of narrative therapy, reviews some important distinctions with other approaches, honors the legacy of Michael White, and situates narrative practice as a development not only within the field of family therapy but rooted in postmodern approaches, post-structuralist philosophy, literary theory, and anthropology.
After exploring the role of questions, the narrative metaphor, and intentional understandings of identity, we highlight four key ethical considerations guiding a narrative approach and look closely at dividing practices to engage with problems in ways that do not promote shame or blame of the families or children. In the final lesson, we explore how narrative practitioners create audiences, seek solidarity and build community.
Instructor
Peggy Sax, Ph.D. (Cornwall, Vermont) guides this self-paced online course. Peggy is the founder and Executive Director of Re-Authoring Teaching – the global learning community of narrative therapy practitioners, teachers, and enthusiasts represented on this website. Having apprenticed herself to narrative therapy since the early 1990s, Peggy also works in independent practice as a licensed psychologist, consultant, international teacher, and trainer. She is the author of several articles and the book Re-authoring Teaching: Creating a Collaboratory. 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.
Registration always open!
Each of the six lessons, including audio, video, and text, takes about two hours. Anyone can start at any time. For an additional $25, registrants can earn 12 APA-approved CE credits through Alliant International University. For course objectives, click here.
Sliding Fee Structure
Course tuition and donations fund our website and community development. We offer tiered pricing to make our courses accessible while sustaining our Narrative Therapy community.
Re-Authoring Teaching Members receive a 10% discount on all rates. Sign up for a membership here.
Please select the highest rate you can afford:
- Subsidized Rate: $112 ($100 for RT Members)
For those facing financial barriers, including international exchange rates - Sustaining Rate: $130 ($117 for RT Members)
Helps cover course production and website costs - Patron Rate: $225 ($202 for RT Members)
Provides additional support for community resources - Donation: Any amount to support our nonprofit’s future development
Contact us for group rates (4+), higher education pricing, or if you need further fee reduction.
Continuing Education Credits
Mental health professionals can earn 12 APA-approved CEs through Alliant International University for an additional $25 fee.
To earn credits:
- Pass the end-of-course quiz
- Complete the Alliant evaluation
- Submit via our Contact form
We’ll email your certificate upon completion.
After Purchase
- You’ll receive an email with your course access link
- You’ll have opportunities to contribute your reflections and questions on each lesson
Building Interaction
Discovering Padlet
While building our courses, we’ve faced the challenge of creating a self-paced asynchronous course while offering added opportunities to share reflections, takeaways, and emerging questions throughout the course. Participation in any Padlet is entirely optional. However, we fully believe that joining will enhance this course experience for us and each other.
Thank you to all who are already contributing your voices to this course!
Lesson Descriptions
Lesson One: What is Narrative Therapy?
We begin by reviewing several excellent brief descriptions of narrative therapy, and the Why Narrative Therapy? Youtube Project. After reviewing some important distinctions between narrative practice and other approaches, we honor the legacy of Michael White (Australia) and David Epston (New Zealand), the founders of Narrative therapy. Included are some special added remembrances of Michael who died in April of 2008.
Guided by: Peggy Sax, with a focus on the works of Michael White, David Epston, Maggie Carey and Shona Russell
Michael White
David Epston
Maggie Carey
Shona Russell
Lesson Two: Who are our intellectual ancestors?
We situate narrative practice as a development not only within the field of family therapy but rooted in postmodern approaches, post-structrualist philosophy, literary theory and anthropology.
Guided by: Peggy Sax, with a focus on the works of Tom Andersen, Harlene Anderson and Chris Beels
Michele Foucault
Jacque Derrida
Tom Andersen
Harlene Anderson
Chris Beels
Rob Hall
Lesson Three: Three Key Concepts
Here we briefly explore three key ideas influencing narrative therapy: the role of questions, the narrative metaphor, and intentional understandings of identity.
Guided by: Peggy Sax, with a focus on the works of Shona Russell, Maggie Carey, Rachel Hare-Mustin, Jill Freedman, Gene Combs, Chimananda Adichie, and Michael White
Rachel Hare-Mustin
Chimamanda Adichie
Jill Freedman and Gene Combs- Michael White
Lesson Four: Four Key Ethical Considerations
We briefly explore four key ethics guiding a narrative approach: relational ethics, the decentered-influential therapeutic posture, staying close to people as center of their own lives, and reckoning with power and privilege.
Guided by: Peggy Sax, with a focus on the works of Sheila McNamee, Michael White, Shona Russell, Maggie Carey, Rob Hall and the Delving into Difference and Accountability Hot Topic for a new decade.
Sheila McNamee- Michael White
Maggie, Shona & Rob
Barbara Herring
Lesson Five: Practices That Engage with Problems
Narrative Therapy is well known as a way of working that separates the person from the problem. We will look closely at dividing practices to engage with problems in ways that do not promote shame or blame of the families or children.
Guided by: Peggy Sax, with a focus on the works of Michael White, David Epston, Karl Tomm, Maggie Carey and Shona Russell
- David Epston
- Michael White
Maggie Carey, Shona Russell & Rob Hall
Karl Tomm
Lesson Six: Creating Audiences, Seeking Solidarity & Building Community
Narrative practitioners often seek to incorporate audiences in efforts such as letter-writing campaigns, outsider witness practices, reflecting teamwork, Tree of Life gatherings, reclaiming community, and other community rituals.
With a focus on the works of Peggy Sax, David Epston, Lynn Hoffman, Michael White and The Collab
David Epston
Michael White & Lynn Hoffman
Peggy Sax
The Collab Salon