Reimagining Narrative Therapy Through Practice Stories and Autoethnography

285 Pages·2022·4.829 MB·English

by  Travis Heath, Tom Stone Carlson, David Epston

Reimagining Narrative Therapy
Through Practice Stories and
Autoethnography
Reimagining Narrative Therapy Through Practice Stories and Autoethnography
takes a new pedagogical approach to teaching and learning in contem-
porary narrative therapy, based in autoethnography and storytelling.
The individual client stories aim to paint each therapeutic meeting
in such detail that the reader will come to feel as though they actually
know the two or more people in the room. This approach moves beyond
the standard narrative practice of teaching by transcripts and steps into
teaching narrative therapy through autoethnography. The intention of
these ‘teaching tales’ is to offer the reader an opportunity to enter into
the very ‘heart and soul’ of narrative therapy practice, much like reading
a novel has you enter into the lives of the characters that inhabit it. This
work has been used by the authors in MA and PhD level classrooms,
workshops, week-long intensive courses, and conferences around the
world, where it has received commendations from both newcomer and
veteran narrative therapists.
The aim of this book is to introduce narrative therapy and the value
of integrating autoethnographic methods to students and new clini-
cians. It can also serve as a useful tool for advanced teachers of narrative
practices. In addition, it will appeal to established clinicians who are
curious about narrative therapy (who may be looking to add it to their
practice), as well as students and scholars of autoethnography and qual-
itative inquiry and methods.
Travis Heath is an associate professor at the University of Denver. His
interests include looking at shifting from a multicultural approach to
counseling to one of cultural democracy that invites people to heal in
mediums that are culturally near. He has been fortunate to run work-
shops and speak in ten countries to date.
Tom Stone Carlson is a professor in the Couple and Family T herapy
Program at Alliant International University-San Diego and is the co-editor
of the Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy. He has over 20 years’ ex-
perience teaching narrative therapy and is particularly interested in the
development of experience-near pedagogies for new therapists.
David Epston and Michael White (1948–2008) were the originators
of narrative therapy. Their co-authored publications include Narrative
Means to Therapeutic Ends (1990) and Experience, Contradiction, Narrative
and Imagination (1992). Since then, David has (co)authored 11 books,
and offered trainings around the world and in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“This book on contemporary narrative therapy re-embraces its inven-
tive origins. It is filled with generative stories that at once re-ignite the
imagination of therapists who have been vulnerable to the dictates of
manuals, toolkits, and mechanistic practices that can paradoxically
diminish the possibilities of the therapeutic endeavor. Accessible prac-
titioner stories of narrative therapy and autoethnographic reflections
take the reader on a journey into unmapped territories that awaken the
spirit of playfulness, adventure, curiosity, novelty and surprise; the very
lifeblood of therapeutic change. These therapeutic touchstones found
throughout the book promote a refreshing look at the practice and
teaching of narrative therapy that can invigorate practitioners and edu-
cators whose creativity and inspiration has been weakened by the rigid-
ities of professional conformity. The text culminates with an intimate,
aesthetically elegant examination of a new pedagogy in the teaching of
narrative therapy that connects you to a sense of therapeutic magic and
possibility.”
— Dr. Gerald Monk, Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy,
San Diego State University USA
“Since the beginning of human history stories have been passed on from
one generation to the next with messages about ethic, meaning, care
and spirit from the past that can potentially create relief and meaning
to the struggles of the present. Our stories represent the essence of our
lives. The gift of this book is like the gift of those stories. Reimagining
Narrative Therapy Through Practice Stories makes you wonder why we
for so many years have been learning practice skills through exercises,
analysis, and models – when indeed the stories in this book reveal the
skills and spirits of narrative work. With the words of Nick Thomp-
son, an Apache elder referred in the book: ‘This is what we know about
our stories. They go to work on your mind and make you think about
your life’.
The Authors propose ‘an alternative pedagogy for teaching nar-
rative therapy. Rather than propose traditional inductive methods of
teaching a priori theory followed by the subsequent skills and interven-
tion,’ they ‘propose a deductive approach that intentionally avoids the
use of theoretical jargon or reference to any particular set of practices in
favor of painting a picture of narrative practice.’
You will love their stories. Reading this book is not like reading yet
another textbook on therapy. It will not teach you but show you ‘the
spirits of narrative practice’.
With this book the joy of narrative practice shows itself on every
page. The authors put it this way: Stories ‘provide guidance in a manner
that inspires your own imaginative capacities rather than the provision
of manualized and regulated direction.’
The stories in this book made us laugh, cry, wonder and think about
our own lives. We can think of no better way to engage with narrative
practice.”
— Anette and Allan Holmgren, Psychologists and
directors of DISPUK, Danish Institute for Training in Narrative Therapy
“‘Show’ outpaces ‘tell’ by miles—the tortoise always wins.
This edited book gives the reader ‘practice stories’ that show how
narrative therapy works, instead of telling us how to do the work of nar-
rative therapy. It has the unmistakable cadence of the narrative story-
teller, and thus becomes ‘travel companions’ in our own practice. These
stories allow us to live in an adventure full of creativity and ingenuity.”
— Dr. Victoria Dickerson, Ph.D. co-author of If Problems
Talked: Narrative Therapy in Action
Writing Lives
Ethnographic Narratives
Series Editors: Arthur P. Bochner, Carolyn Ellis and Tony E. Adams
University of South Florida and Bradley University
Writing Lives: Ethnographic Narratives publishes narrative representations
of qualitative research projects. The series editors seek manuscripts
that blur the boundaries between humanities and social sciences. We
encourage novel and evocative forms of expressing concrete lived ex-
perience, including autoethnographic, literary, poetic, artistic, visual,
performative, critical, multi-voiced, conversational, and co-constructed
representations. We are interested in ethnographic narratives that de-
pict local stories; employ literary modes of scene setting, dialogue,
character development, and unfolding action; and include the author’s
critical reflections on the research and writing process, such as research
ethics, alternative modes of inquiry and representation, reflexivity, and
evocative storytelling. Proposals and manuscripts should be directed to
[email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]
A Story of a Marriage Through Dementia and Beyond
Love in a Whirlwind
Laurel Richardson
Therapy, Stand-Up, and the Gesture of Writing
Towards Creative-Relational Inquiry
Jonathan Wyatt
Talking White Trash
Mediated Representations and Lived Experiences of White
Working-Class People
Tasha R. Dunn
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.
com/Writing-Lives-Ethnographic-Narratives/book-series/WLEN

R n t
eimagining aRRative heRapy
t p S
hRough Ractice toRieS and
a
utoethnogRaphy
Edited by
Travis Heath, Tom Stone Carlson,
and David Epston
Cover image: Getty images
First published 2022
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 selection and editorial matter, Travis Heath, Tom Stone
Carlson, and David Epston; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Travis Heath, Tom Stone Carlson, and David Epston
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of
the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-032-12864-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-12865-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-22654-3 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003226543
Typeset in ITC Legacy Serif
by codeMantra
CONTENTS
List of Contributors xi
SECTION I
INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICE STORIES 1
1 Introduction: Writing Practice Stories – A History of a Pedagogy 3
travis heath, david epston and tom carlson
SECTION II
STORIES IN ACTION 39
2 Wilbur the Worrier Becomes Wilbur the Warrior 41
kay ingamells
3 Mother Appreciation Parties 73
david epston
4 “A New Surprise of Existing: The Last Thing I Ever Was – Was
Silent”: A Poetic Response to Patriarchal Malice 84
sanni paljakka and fabiola
5 Blossoming in the Storm 117
sasha mcallum pilkington
ix