Problem stories are not equal. Some stories dirty and mar persons’ identities and these stories seem to have a particularly gripping effect in their lives. In the face of such marring and gripping problems stories, not just any story will do. We need to tell stories in our work that powerfully counter the damaging effects of gripping problem stories through practices that seek out the restorative power of beauty. Sanni and Tom shares some of the recent developments in their work that seek to restore the beauty and dignity of persons lives through the use of poetry, art, and performance.

Somatic therapies and a resurgence of interest in affect are two significant trends in recent times. These movements invite narrative-oriented practitioners to pause and unpack what claims are being made and their implications. In exploring challenges and possibilities, we considered the dialogical features, affective tones, emotional depictions and embodied expressions of re-membering practices. The December 2018 Collab focused on a notion of relational fields in instituting new forms of everyday living, especially giving attention to expanding relational fields of kindness when tyrannical and devaluing voices seek to usurp a person’s voice and erase their knowing about their achievements.

As someone who is interested in the intersection between psychedelics and psychotherapy, Gabriel Garcia has many questions about the changing landscape of these substances, their legality, and viability as agents of psychological change. Gabriel presented some of the emerging models for working with stories of psychedelic experiences and fold these models into postmodern and narrative ideas. This was a springboard for the creating a generative discussion for those who attend.

Have Post Modern ideas failed effective work in partnering with our clients around the role severe depression plays in people’s lives? It is Amy Gottlieb's contention it has. As someone with 43 years of lived experience with depression coming and going as an unwanted companion, she has been offered many well meaning yet unhelpful ideas from post modern practitioners. In this salon Amy endeavored to generate thought about how holding a rigid post modern stance (in the name of not being rigid) may not serve our clients as they come to us for help to get distance from depression robbing them of joy.

Chris Darmody ( Perth, Australia) described Camp Retreat - a de-patholgising 3 day program for 20 young people aged 14-17 who are engaged in a mental health service. It is run 4 times a year and it is narratively informed. Many of the participants coming into camp will come with a mental health diagnosis and the stigma associated with engaging with a mental health service and the associated feelings of identity failure. The intention of the program is to separate a person from the problem and engage in different activities without the problem being present. By having this experience it is hoped that participants can return to their lives with an understanding of how much influence the problem has over their lives, decisions about how much they want a problem to be there, and skills to reduce its influence on their lives.

   What’s happening with Re-authoring Teaching? What’s going on behind the scenes? A great group got together for our annual tradition reviewing new developments with our Faculty Offerings, Workshops/Narrative Camp, Community Higher Education/Educators Portal, Community and our Reauthoring Teaching Youtube Channel. After giving a brief update, we used break-out rooms to talking among ourselves about what's working and suggestions for the future. 

Stephen Burton and Kevin O’Bryan presented their narrative approach to group therapy, which acts as an ongoing laboratory to test out new and preferred identities in the social situation of the group, while discouraging group level stories. Together we tried out a group interview with inquiry and outsider witnessing within the group.