When Michael wrote about this meeting with Daniel and his parents, he emphasised how externalising ‘Trouble’  created new possibilities for collaboration. Here is how Michael described this in writing: 

“This opened the door for our work together to become more collaborative. ‘Daniel, what is it like for you to be talked into such negative things about yourself?’ This time Daniel was shrugless in his response. He glanced at his parents, and, taking this as a cue, I asked them: ‘What do you think it is like for Daniel to be talked into such negative ideas about who he is?’ In response, Tom said, ‘I guess that it makes him lonely – and miserable too’. ‘I reckon that he is secretly sad about this’, said Lucy, ‘because I am sure that the wet patches that I sometimes see on his pillow in the mornings are from tears’. I looked at Daniel, wondering whether or not he would confirm this. Suddenly I saw a tear surfacing in the corner of his eye. We all saw it. Daniel turned his head aside, his tear evaporators working overtime. When he looked back the tear had vanished. But things were never the same after this tear. There was a way forward. The existence of this tear was a signal that Daniel had taken a position on the trouble that everyone else had taken a position on. Now, for what seemed like the first time, there was an opportunity for the members of this family to be joined together, with me, in their efforts to break their lives from what had become such a terrible predicament.” (White, 2004, p.123) 

What stood out to you as you listened to this story of practice?

Were there particular elements that were moving or intriguing to you?

Please scroll down and read what other practitioners have written after they have just watched this video and then add your own reflections. 

Reference 

White, M. (2004). ‘Narrative practice and the unpacking of identity conclusions’ in Exotic Lives: Resurrecting diversity in everyday life. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications, Chapter 4, pp. 119-147.