Opening space for conversations

We publish content that opens space for conversation. We hope to engage readers’ own thoughtfulness and to contribute to discussions within the field of narrative therapy and community work.

The person / community is not the problem

We publish articles and multimedia contributions that are consistent with the principle that the “person is not the problem; the problem is the problem”. In other words, we publish content written from a non-pathologising stance and that is broadly congruent with the ideas of narrative practice.

Care with the politics of representation

We require that, wherever appropriate, anyone whose story or experience is represented has a chance to read/view/listen and reflect on the ways in which they have been represented. We also aim to take care with the politics of representation including in relation to gender, class, race, sexuality, culture, ability and age.

Direct relevance to practitioners

We publish contributions of direct relevance to practitioners. We prioritise descriptions of hopeful and helpful work that provides practical ideas to those working in the field of narrative therapy and community work.

Seeking new authors and contributors

We seek to publish a significant amount of work from new authors and contributors – those who have not published their work before. Many good practitioners don’t have a sense that they could write up their work for publication, and we see it as part of our role to offer support, encouragement and collaboration. We are particularly interested in generating opportunities for young authors and authors from perspectives, communities and cultures whose work and ideas are generally under-represented in the written word.

Expanding the thinking and parameters of narrative practice

We seek to publish new work that expands our thinking and the parameters of narrative practice. We do not want to simply confirm what is already familiar. We publish papers and multimedia works that introduce new therapeutic practices and ways of thinking about therapy and community work. We put significant effort into researching and seeking out challenging perspectives from outside the field, which contributes to stretching our thinking and invigorating narrative practice. We welcome submissions from people with lived experience. Perspectives from outside the professional realm make a significant contribution to refreshing and reconceptualising therapeutic practice.

Attending to the effects of the publishing process

Many narrative therapists are interested in the significant effects that documentation can have within a therapeutic process. While the journal is not intended to be “therapeutic”, we try to make the process of publication a rewarding one for authors and the people whose stories are represented. This is most relevant when authors are documenting the stories and insider knowledges of individuals and groups who have experienced significant trauma and/or abuse. It is our experience that when care is taken around these processes, articles can become documents that richly describe the skills and knowledges of the particular individual or group and offer a great deal to therapists and community workers, while simultaneously contributing to a further reduction in the effects of trauma or abuse.

Archiving history

Our primary focus remains on looking ahead and the development of new ideas, practices and conversations; however, we are aware that International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work also serves as a key forum for the documentation of history. The field of narrative therapy and community work is relatively young and yet it is developing very quickly. We are interested in articles that document the history of therapeutic and community work ideas and practices in ways that assist practitioners.